Chris Martin has been slammed after conducting what some described as a "tactless" on-stage act.

The Coldplay frontman was under fire after he quizzed concertgoers in front of a sold-out crowd at London's Wembley Stadium on Sunday.

In between songs, Chris, 48, brought two female audience members up on stage and asked where they were from.

After the women explained they were from Israel - a response that drew a mixture of boos, groans and applause from the rest of the audience - Chris gave a rambling response.

"I'm going to say this. I'm very grateful that you're here as humans. We are treating you as equal humans on Earth, regardless of where you come from," Chris said. "Thank you for being here. We're grateful and thank you for being loving and kind."

He went on to add his support for Palestine, stating, "welcome people in the audience from Palestine ... although it's controversial, maybe" and declared again, "I believe that we're all equally human".

The interaction stirred controversy on social media, with "deeply disappointed" fans calling Chris out for "mortifying" the women "in front of thousands", describing it as a "tactless misstep" that created an "unnecessarily politicised" moment.

While many believed Chris had no bad intentions, they felt he had done the wrong thing.

"At the end of the day, he took two girls who more than likely just wanted to enjoy some music and made them targets," one commenter suggested.