Actress Miriam Margolyes. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – Miriam Margolyes, a British-Jewish actress who played the role of Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter movie series, said that Israel is “stupid” for letting people “vent” about anti-Semitism.

“I don’t think people like Jews. They never have. English literature, my great love, is full of greasy and treacherous Jews. I’m lucky they like me… and one always needs a Jewish accountant,” she said in an interview with the British Radio Times.

“I loathe Hamas, but they were democratically elected and Israel’s behavior is not acceptable. There’s been a troubling backlash [against Jews],” added Margolyes. During Israel’s Operation Protective Edge this summer, the Community Security Trust reported that 302 anti-Semitic incidents took place in the U.K. in July compared to 59 such incidents in July 2013.

While anti-Semitism is “horrible and can’t be defended,” Israel is “stupid for allowing people to vent [about] it,” Margolyes said.