Editing Maureen Lipman (section)

==Political views==
===Burma===
Lipman supports the work of the [[Burma Campaign UK]],<ref name="Frazer Oct 2020"/><ref name="Mont Blance">{{cite press release |date=7 July 2004 |title=Burma Freedom climb of Mont Blanc |url=https://burmacampaign.org.uk/burma-freedom-climb-of-mont-blanc/ |access-date=28 January 2021 |website=[[Burma Campaign UK]]}}</ref> Europe's largest [[NGO]] regarding [[Myanmar]] (Burma). Lipman supports the process of democratisation in the country. Lipman also supports the work of Prospect Burma, a non-political charity that offers Burmese students the opportunity to study at university overseas. Lipman spoke on behalf of Prospect Burma in the BBC [[Radio 4 Appeal]],  broadcast in September 2009.<ref name="Prospect Appeal">{{cite web |date=10 September 2009 |title=Prospect Burma |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00mf26y |access-date=28 January 2021 |website=BBC [[Radio 4 Appeal]]}}</ref>

===Pro-Israel activism===

Lipman supported [[Israel]] during the [[2006 Lebanon War|2006 Israel–Hezbollah conflict]]. On 13 July 2006, in a debate on the BBC's ''[[This Week (2003 TV programme)|This Week]]'', she argued that "human life is not cheap to the Israelis, and human life on the other side is quite cheap actually, because they strap bombs to people and send them to blow themselves up." These comments were condemned by columnist [[Yasmin Alibhai-Brown]] who said "Brutally straight, she sees no equivalence between the lives of the two tribes".<ref>{{cite news |first=Yasmin |last=Alibhai-Brown |author-link=Yasmin Alibhai-Brown |url=http://comment.independent.co.uk/columnists_a_l/yasmin_alibhai_brown/article1181666.ece |title=Nothing but anti-Arab racism can fully explain the behaviour of the Israelis |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060719031841/http://comment.independent.co.uk/columnists_a_l/yasmin_alibhai_brown/article1181666.ece |archive-date=19 July 2006 |newspaper=[[The Independent]] |date=17 July 2006 |url-status=dead |access-date=31 July 2006 }}</ref> Lipman responded to Alibhai-Brown's accusation of racism by arguing that the columnist had deliberately misrepresented Lipman's comments as generalisations about Muslims rather than specific comments about terrorists.<ref>{{cite web |first=Maureen |last=Lipman |url=http://comment.independent.co.uk/letters/article1185316.ece |title=Letters: It is wrong to call Israel a racist state |newspaper=[[The Independent]] |date=19 July 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060720171816/http://comment.independent.co.uk/letters/article1185316.ece |archive-date=20 July 2006 |access-date=5 September 2006}}</ref>

In ''[[The Jewish Chronicle]]'', Lipman argued that media reporting of the conflict was "heavily distorted":
{{cquote|There is rarely any film of rockets being fired into Israel, nor any mention of the damage, nor of the 250,000 refugees who have fled to the centre of Israel, nor of rockets targeting Israel every day since it withdrew from [[Gaza Strip|Gaza]], nor the damage done by 100 Hezbollah rockets a day...

More people are being killed in [[São Paulo]], [[Somalia]] and [[Darfur]] than in this conflict. Where is the coverage? It is as if the [[Iraq War]] has completely stopped while this blanket coverage in [[Lebanon]] goes on and on and on... I sometimes think Israel should ban the press as [[Zimbabwe]] has. They are a democracy, though, and behave accordingly...

I respect freedom of speech, but I'm contemptuous of the 300 signatories [to the anti-Invasion ''Times'' advert and the ''Independent'' letter]. To English, assimilated, sometimes self-despising Jews such as [[Gerald Kaufman]] and [[Harold Pinter]], I say: where are you going to go when the shit hits the fan? It doesn't matter if you stand in Parliament or marry into the aristocracy, there will be no Israel to receive you, as they have received so many before. Why didn't they put their ad in an Israeli newspaper? Because it is more important to impress their fellow Englishmen than to effect change in the situation. Where are their signatures against Burma, [[Nepal]], Tibet and Zimbabwe?...<ref>{{cite web |first=Maureen |last=Lipman |url= http://www.thejc.com/home.aspx?ParentId=m11s19s116&SecId=116&AId=45401&ATypeId=1 |title=Prominent Jews speak out on the war |work=[[The Jewish Chronicle]] |date=3 August 2006 |access-date=5 August 2006 }}</ref>}}

In May 2015, Lipman joined pro-Israel groups including the [[Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland|Zionist Federation]] in a protest outside the London premiere of a Palestinian play, ''[[The Siege (play)|The Siege]]'', at [[Battersea Arts Centre]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Firsht |first1=Naomi |title=Maureen Lipman joins protest outside theatre staging ''The Siege'' |url=http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/136602/maureen-lipman-joins-protest-outside-theatre-staging-the-siege |work=[[The Jewish Chronicle]] |date=20 May 2015 |access-date=24 May 2015 }}</ref>

In an interview with ''[[The Guardian]]'' on 18 August 2020, Lipman inaccurately asserted that [[Hezbollah]] had claimed responsibility for the [[2020 Beirut explosion]], stating: "I'm very grateful that Hezbollah said they did it". She intimated that she would not be prepared to work alongside some pro-Palestinian actors, citing [[Maxine Peake]] and [[Miriam Margolyes]] as examples.<ref name="Guardian 18 Aug"/>

In 2024, Lipman said that protests against Israel are "close to [[fascism]]".<ref>{{cite news |title=Left-wing actors' protests against Israel are close to fascism, says Maureen Lipman |url=https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/left-wing-actors-protests-against-israel-are-close-to-fascism-says-maureen-lipman/ar-BB1lbiQF |website=The Telegraph}}</ref> She said, "These bleeding heartless [[liberalism|liberals]] care so deeply for the Palestinians? That they espouse their cause at the expense of every other oppressed people of the world... Shame. Shame. Shame on every one of you."<ref>{{cite news |last=Quadri |first=Sami |date=24 October 2023 |title=Maureen Lipman says ITV offered her security following Israel-Hamas remarks |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/maureen-lipman-coronation-street-itv-security-protection-israel-hamas-antisemitism-b1115521.html |access-date=7 April 2024 |website=Evening Standard }}</ref>

===Antisemitism===
In a January 2015 interview on [[LBC Radio]], Lipman said she was considering emigrating to the [[United States]] or Israel in response to what she perceived as increasing [[antisemitism in the United Kingdom]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Lipman: I Might Leave UK Over Anti-Semitism |url=http://www.lbc.co.uk/listen-maureen-lipman-might-leave-uk-over-anti-semitism-103945 |publisher=[[LBC]] |date=27 January 2015|access-date=8 February 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150208031334/http://www.lbc.co.uk/listen-maureen-lipman-might-leave-uk-over-anti-semitism-103945 |archive-date=8 February 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Gardner |first1=Bill |title=Actress Maureen Lipman may leave Britain over attacks on Jews |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/11373324/Actress-Maureen-Lipman-may-leave-Britain-over-attacks-on-Jews.html |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=27 January 2015 |access-date=8 February 2015 }}</ref>

In November 2023 Lipman joined a march against antisemitism in London alongside prominent celebrities including [[Vanessa Feltz]], [[Robert Rinder]], [[Tracy-Ann Oberman]], [[Elliot Levey]], [[Rachel Riley]], [[Eddie Marsan]], and [[David Baddiel]].<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-67537351 | title= Thousands march against antisemitism in London | work=BBC News | date=26 November 2023 | access-date=30 June 2024}}</ref>

===The Labour Party===
At the [[2005 United Kingdom general election|2005 general election]], Lipman supported the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]],<ref>{{cite news |author=Matthews, Jenny |date=21 April 2005 |title=Who's backing whom at the election? |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/vote_2005/frontpage/4464557.stm |access-date=28 January 2021 |work=[[BBC News]]}}</ref> but declared in October 2014 that she could no longer do so due to leader [[Ed Miliband]]'s support for a parliamentary motion in favour of recognising the [[State of Palestine]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Rogers, Tom D |date=9 April 2018 |title=Actress who said "Corbyn made me a Tory" over anti-Semitism made almost identical claims against Ed Miliband for supporting Palestine in 2014 |url=https://evolvepolitics.com/actress-who-said-corbyn-made-me-a-tory-over-anti-semitism-made-almost-identical-claims-against-ed-miliband-for-supporting-palestine-in-2014/ |access-date=28 January 2021 |work=[[Evolve Politics]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Holehouse |first=Matthew |date=29 October 2014 |title=Maureen Lipman abandons Ed Miliband over Israel |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/ed-miliband/11196959/Maureen-Lipman-abandons-Ed-Miliband-over-Israel.html |access-date=9 April 2018 |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |author=Lipman, Maureen |date=November 2014 |title=Labour Has Lost Me |url=http://standpointmag.co.uk/node/5798/full |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418105549/http://standpointmag.co.uk/node/5798/full |archive-date=18 April 2016 |access-date=28 January 2021 |magazine=[[Standpoint (magazine)|Standpoint]]}}</ref> In April 2018, Lipman criticised Labour leader [[Jeremy Corbyn]] for the way he had handled [[antisemitism in the UK Labour Party|antisemitism in the Labour Party]] and the party's reputed failure to address the issue. Lipman attended a protest outside Labour's head office and said she was there "as a disenfranchised socialist". She identified with a placard reading "Corbyn made me a [[Conservative Party (UK)|Tory]]".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/jeremy-corbyn-antisemitism-demonstration-headquarters-labour-maureen-lipman-a8295096.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220512/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/jeremy-corbyn-antisemitism-demonstration-headquarters-labour-maureen-lipman-a8295096.html |archive-date=12 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Hundreds join demonstration accusing Jeremy Corbyn of 'broken promise' on antisemitism |last=Merrick |first=Rob |date= 8 April 2018 |access-date = 29 January 2021|work=[[The Independent]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/apr/08/crowd-descends-on-labour-hq-to-protest-over-antisemitism |title=Crowd descends on Labour HQ to protest over antisemitism |last=Badshah |first=Nadeem |date=8 April 2018|access-date = 28 January 2021 |work=[[The Guardian]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/maureen-lipman-says-jeremy-corbyn-must-leave-the-stage-6j79g970d |title=Maureen Lipman says Jeremy Corbyn must leave the stage |last=Coates |first=Sam |date=9 April 2018 |access-date = 28 January 2021|work=[[The Times]]}}</ref> In a 2020 interview, she described herself as a "Labour luvvie" under the tenure of [[Tony Blair]], as opposed to a "party member". She also said she would have to be "stark raving mad to support ([[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] leader) [[Boris Johnson]]".<ref name="Guardian 18 Aug">{{cite news |title=Maureen Lipman: 'I'd have to be stark raving mad to support Boris Johnson'|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2020/aug/18/maureen-lipman-interview-rose-martin-sherman |author= Williams, Zoe|author-link =Zoe Williams|work=[[The Guardian]] |date=18 August 2020 |access-date = 28 January 2021}}</ref>