A new anti-Israel trend has emerged on social media platforms, boycotting and blocking public figures who have not made political statements regarding the Israel-Hamas war, in an effort to pressure them to take a stance on the conflict.
The trend became popular in the wake of the Met Gala, an annual celebrity event held in New York City last week, where celebrities who attended the event did not make political statements.
After the event, videos proliferated across social media platforms condemning celebrities who did not take pro-Palestinian positions.
The video used the hashtag #celebrityblocklist and encouraged others to block the social media accounts of people on the list they created.
long list of blocked names
In the video, the account user can be seen scrolling through a list of celebrity names with the word “SILENT” written in capital letters next to the person who misbehaved.
The list of celebs was long and included A-listers like Zendaya, Kylie Jenner, Kim Kardashian, and Ariana Grande.
The comments section of the hashtagged video was filled with posts from social media users expressing their intention to boycott celebrities and encouraging the trend.
Despite the event’s apolitical message, more than a thousand pro-Palestinian protesters marched near the gala. The Guardian reported that some demonstrators said they intended to cancel the event.
Protesters beat drums and chanted “Free Palestine” as they paraded down Madison Avenue, just one block east of the gala.
