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Actress Gillian Anderson joins Intel in quitting Web Summit following Paddy Cosgrave’s ‘Israel war crimes’ claim

It follows controversy over comments made by founder Paddy Cosgrave about Israel-Gaza crisis

Today at 06:03

Actress Gillian Anderson has withdrawn from her role as a speaker at this year’s Web Summit in Portugal.

Tech giants Intel and Siemens have also confirmed that they have withdrawn from this year’s event which is scheduled to take place next month.

It comes after Israel withdrew from the technology conference over an ­accusation by the event’s CEO, Paddy Cosgrave, that the country was engaging in “war crimes” in the Gaza Strip.

Earlier this month, Web Summit ­bosses had announced on social ­media that the X-Files star would appear on stage to discuss her new business G Spot, which produces soft drinks.

Ms Anderson had been due to appear with the company’s CEO Rebekah Hall to discuss G Spot’s “journey”.

But both the social media post and an image of Ms Anderson have been removed from Web Summit’s website and social platforms.

Asked why Ms Anderson and Ms Hall were no longer on the list of speakers, a spokesperson for G Spot said: “We made the decision to withdraw because we recognise that the brands’ values do not align.”

US chipmaker Intel, which employs several thousand people in Ireland, confirmed on Thursday that it was “withdrawing from Web Summit.” A representative for the Santa Clara, California-based company, which has longstanding operations in Israel, declined to comment further.

Siemens, the German engineering and manufacturing company, is listed as one of the top sponsors of the summit scheduled for next month in Lisbon. But after having “reviewed the situation,” the company will no longer be a partner or attend the event this year, a representative said.

Mr Cosgrave has since apologised for the remarks that also led a number of technology executives to withdraw from the conference, including key ­Silicon Valley figures such as Garry Tan, of start-up backer Y-Combinator, and Ravi Gupta of the Sequoia venture capital firm.

In his apology this week, Mr Cosgrave said: “I understand that what I said, the timing of what I said, and the way it has been presented has caused profound hurt to many. To anyone who was hurt by my words, I apologise deeply.

“What is needed at this time is compassion, and I did not convey that. My aim is and always has been to strive for peace.”

The names of a number of other ­celebrities have also disappeared from the event’s line-up.

Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt, rapper LL Cool J and entrepreneur Steven Bartlett are no longer listed on the Web ­Summit’s online “speakers page”.

Asked whether the speakers were still participating at the event next month, a Web Summit spokesperson said they were unable to comment due to “privacy and confidentiality purposes”.

“We are in discussion with a few speakers and companies about their presence at Web Summit,” the spokesperson said.

“We are excited to welcome 70,000 attendees from around the world with a full programme this November.”

Speakers due to appear at the ­summit in Lisbon from November 13 to 16 ­include the comedian Amy Poehler, who is the headline guest for the event, and film director Neil Jordan.

Before issuing his apology, Mr ­Cosgrave had earlier characterised responses to his original remarks as an “overreaction” and he had insisted he would “not relent”.

But in the apology, Mr Cosgrave said: “I unequivocally support Israel’s right to exist and to defend itself.

“To reiterate what I said last week: I unreservedly condemn Hamas’ evil, disgusting and monstrous October 7 attack. I also call for the unconditional release of all hostages.”

Mr Cosgrave said he still believed there was concern over Israel potentially committing war crimes.