TEHRAN – Calls are growing for social media users to boycott public figures who remain silent in the face of Israel's war crimes, crimes against humanity and acts of genocide against Palestinians.
Earlier this month, an online movement known as “Blockout 2024” to stop certain public figures from inaction gained momentum amid Israel's horrific atrocities in the Gaza Strip.
The impetus was the 2024 Met Gala, which was held in New York on May 6th.
The annual event attracts many celebrities from the worlds of fashion, film, music and sports.
But this year's incident sparked a backlash because it occurred around the same time as Israel launched a ground offensive in Rafah, the southernmost city in the Gaza Strip.
More than half of Gaza's 2.3 million people were crammed into Rafah before the attack. Israel's ground assault on Rafah has forced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to flee Rafah. United Nations agencies and aid groups have warned of a humanitarian catastrophe as Israel expands its military operations on the ground.
Since Israel began its war in the Gaza Strip on October 7, it has massacred approximately 35,400 Palestinians, including more than 15,000 children.
Israel has been charged with genocide at the International Court of Justice. Prominent rights groups also said that Israel's military actions in Gaza amounted to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Meanwhile, UN experts have accused the regime of deliberately starving Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, as hunger spreads there.
There are now growing concerns that a major invasion of Rafah could lead to bloodshed.
The tragic situation of the Gazans has led to increased pressure on certain celebrities, especially those who attended the Met Gala.
celebrities lose followers
Online activists are unfollowing and blocking celebrities as part of the “Blockout 2024” campaign.
They blocked content from certain celebrity accounts on social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and X (formerly known as Twitter).
In addition, some other social media users posted about the celebrities they blocked, shared posts by users insulting Met Gala attendees, and comparing them to the situation in Gaza.
The move is aimed at reducing the income that celebrities earn through advertising on social media platforms.
Hashtags such as #blockout, #blockout2024, and #celebrityblockout have been used to draw attention to celebrities deemed unsupportive or indifferent to the death and destruction in the Gaza Strip.
Some users refer to blockouts as “digitines” or digital guillotines, a nod to the French Revolution.
Hailey Khalil is a former American model and current TikTok influencer with around 10 million followers on the platform. On May 7, a video surfaced of her lip-syncing the words “Let them eat cake” outside the Met Gala.
“Let them eat cake” are the most famous words of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France during the French Revolution.
When the starving farmers were told they had no bread to eat, she suggested they eat cake. This anecdote is cited as an example of her indifference to the situation and daily life of ordinary people, as cake is more expensive than bread.
The footage sparked an outcry as Gazans battle hunger more than seven months into Israel's genocidal war.
According to Blockout2024.org, celebrities such as Beyoncé, Kim Kardashian, Billie Eilish, and Selena Gomez have lost large numbers of followers.
The 2024 Met Gala was held surrounded by protesters, highlighting the contrast between celebrity luxury and the situation in Gaza.
condoning crime
Many believe that when celebrities remain silent about Israeli genocide, they are tacitly condoning or supporting its reprehensible acts. This is especially true when their silence is seen as a form of acquiescence, allowing Israeli criminals to proceed with their atrocities without fear of consequences. Individuals, especially celebrities, can play an important role in raising awareness and holding criminals accountable by speaking out against their atrocities.
