Madonna has been given extra security on her world tour after receiving a barrage of online hate after calling for peace in Israel’s long-running bloody conflict with the Palestinians.
The barrage of abuse has meant security has been tightened around the pop star as she continues her current Celebration Tour, which saw the 65-year-old perform in London last week.
She told the sold-out crowd: “What’s going on between Israel and Palestine right now is obviously heartbreaking and nobody wants to see what’s going on.”
‘I see children being thrown off motorbikes, kidnapped, babies beheaded, children being shot and killed in a peaceful rave, what the hell is going on in the world?’
The singer added that she was “scared and scared” by the escalating tensions, but said it would be “irresponsible” not to speak out on the issue.
Security: Madonna has been given extra security on her tour after receiving a barrage of hate online after calling for peace in Israel’s long-running bloody conflict with the Palestinians (pictured on stage at London’s O2 Arena last week)
Concerns: A barrage of abuse has meant security has been tightened around the pop superstar as he continues his current celebration tour (pictured on stage at London’s O2 Arena last week)
The Like A Prayer star’s comments sparked a backlash among some pro-Palestinian supporters.
Numerous posts on social media labeled her a ‘Zionist witch’ and a ‘criminal’ in relation to her remarks about the massacre by Hamas terrorists on October 7.
The singer is understood to have been left distraught after numerous photos of dead or injured babies were posted on social media, with some commenting on her ability to be a mother.
Other posts sent to her official social media platforms mocked Madonna for her fascination with Kabbalah, an ancient Jewish mystical tradition.
The pop star was born and raised Catholic, but developed an interest in Jewish mysticism after a friend introduced her to the lyrics.
In posts seen by the Mail on Sunday, she was branded a ‘cabal of s****’ by anti-Israel fanatics.
Friends told the Mail on Sunday that Madonna was “devastated and appalled” by the response to her intervention on the bloody Middle East conflict, particularly as she tried not to take sides in her speech.
Meanwhile, a senior music industry figure involved in the major tour has confirmed that security has been “tightened and beefed up” at Madonna’s gigs due to safety fears amid the conflict.
MTV’s annual European Music Awards (EMAs), due to take place in Paris on November 5, were postponed last week amid claims the celebration was not appropriate at the time.
But it is understood that security concerns surrounding the artist also led to the decision to cancel the event.
Madonna will continue her tour in Antwerp, Belgium on Sunday.
Her tour managers are confident she won’t have to cancel.
War: Smoke and flames billow after Israeli forces hit a tower block in Gaza City on October 7
