"I couldn’t stop thinking about as my friends and I swayed to “Fearless.” Do the girls of Gaza listen to Taylor Swift? Are they allowed to?"
"I couldn’t stop thinking about as my friends and I swayed to “Fearless.” Do the girls of Gaza listen to Taylor Swift? Are they allowed to?"
Things You Find When Searching for "Taylor Swift Palestine"
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/11/08/taylor-swift-movie-tel-aviv/
The grief and abject terror that have gripped this small country since Oct. 7 played out on their faces, young women who wanted more than anything to just be themselves for a few hours even if Hamas fires rockets at them.
I can already hear detractors mocking these tears, saying the girls’ anguish is nothing compared with the tragedy unfolding in Gaza. But it was the girls of Gaza I couldn’t stop thinking about as my friends and I swayed to “Fearless.” Do the girls of Gaza listen to Taylor Swift? Are they allowed to?
The theater was filled to its 250-person capacity — or almost as many as were butchered by Hamas on Oct. 7 at the Nova trance-music festival promoting peace. For a wild second, I wondered what would have happened, in the aftermath of what we here in Israel call “the day the music died,” if Swift herself had spoken out and denounced the terrorists. She holds so much power, the songstress of our century, far more than any of the gun-toting men who dictate and direct the violence that grips this corner of the world.
Over the past few weeks, Israelis and Jews in the diaspora have come to realize how few friends we have among young people in the West. We now know that universities will indulge Hamas supporters on their campuses; that public high schools won’t defend Jewish students harassed in the name of Palestine; that Jewish homes and institutions across Europe are being tagged with antisemitic graffiti; and that some of the most enthusiastic chanters of the genocidal slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” are college-age young people in Europe and the United States.
Swift’s fans appreciate nuance. I’d like to think that the millions of teenagers who worship her music understand something about opposing narratives, gaslighting and toxic exes who keep pulling you back into battle when all you want to do is move on in peace. Nobody here wants this war. Our heartbreak at having to wage it is eclipsed only by the pain of knowing that we’re going to lose — are losing — family members, friends or loved ones who are fighting to root out Hamas.
But even in the young lives of the Swift fans who danced around me, Israel has had to fight to defend herself six times over the past 15 years. We’ve all been here, at war, before. We know it all too well.
"Taylor Swift also left some fans disappointed with her silence"
Several Swifties were also left disappointed with Swift for not using her platform of 274 million followers to speak about the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
"The silence from Taylor Swift on what's happening in the Middle East is DEAFENING," one wrote.
"Taylor Swift's silence on Israel/Palestine is deafening," another echoed.
"Taylor Swift's silence on the attacks on Israel from Hamas is deafening," a third wrote.
One user asked, "#TaylorWhereAreYou I'm not the only one wondering why #TaylorSwift hasn't weighed in on the atrocities in Israel. That she hasn't, on day SIX, is horrifying."
"Just add her to the long, long list of those whose silence has been deafening," another said.
One user reiterated, "Taylor Swift's silence on the Israel vs Palestine conflict is deafening".
"Fans ignite #SwiftiesForPalestine trend, demand Taylor Swift to take a stand on Gaza"
Taylor Swift’s fans, also known as Swifties, are urging the pop star to use her influence and speak up for the Palestinian people amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
The hashtag #SwiftiesForPalestine has been trending on Twitter, with many fans expressing their disappointment in Swift’s silence on the issue.
One of the since-deleted tweets that sparked the hashtag was from a fan account named @Sydelenasup, who posted a picture of Swift holding a Palestinian flag and wrote, “Taylor Swift we need you to speak up for Palestine. You have a huge platform and millions of fans who look up to you. Please don’t let us down. #SwiftiesForPalestine”.
The tweet has garnered over 10,000 likes and 2,000 retweets, as well as hundreds of comments. Along with a another post urging, “Its more important than ever that we use our voices, no matter how big or small to advocate for the Palestinian cause.”
One commented, “I love Taylor but she needs to do better. She can’t just ignore what’s happening in Palestine. It’s not political, it’s humanitarian.”
Another one wrote, “Taylor has always been vocal about human rights and social justice. Why is she silent now? Palestine deserves her support and solidarity.”
“Taylor please say something. Your silence is hurting us. We need you to stand with Palestine and condemn the Israeli occupation and aggression,” one user commented.
In a viral video of Swift performing at the American Music Awards in 2019, where she wore a shirt with the names of her albums. The fan edited the video to replace the names with “Free Palestine”, “End Occupation”, “Boycott Israel” and “Justice for Gaza”. The video was captioned as, “This is how Taylor Swift should use her voice and power. #SwiftiesForPalestine”.
The conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas has been escalating since Oct. 7, when Hamas launched rockets at Israel, triggering a massive Israeli retaliation. Thousands of people have been killed or injured on both sides.
The 'Cruel Summer' singer has not commented on the situation, despite being known for her activism and advocacy on various issues, such as LGBTQ+ rights, women’s rights, voting rights and climate change
Other celebrities, such as Rihanna, Selena Gomez, Bella Hadid, Dua Lipa and Zayn Malik, have spoken out in support of Palestine and called for peace and justice. They have also noted that Swift has a history of speaking out against oppression and injustice, such as when she condemned white supremacy and neo-Nazism in 2017.
Swift has not responded to the hashtag or the fan requests so far. Her latest post on Twitter was on Oct. 22, when she promoted her upcoming concert film Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, which will premiere on Netflix on Oct. 25.