Noah Schnapp says his views on Gaza were misconstrued as ‘Stranger Things 5' begins filming

Last year, actor drew flak for promoting 'Zionism is Sexy' stickers in a viral video

Amid escalating Israeli brutality, marked by a rising death toll surpassing 24,000, advocates for Palestine are urging boycotts against corporate and cultural products endorsing the apartheid. Similar calls for boycott were issued against actor Noah Schnapp and his hit series Stranger Things after a viral video depicted him promoting “Zionism Is Sexy” stickers.

Two months after the controversy, the actor took to TikTok on Tuesday with a video statement maintaining that his views on the matter have been misinterpreted. Notably, the statement comes just one week after the commencement of production for Stranger Things season 5.

“I just wanted to come on here super briefly just to discuss everything that’s been going on online. I feel like my thoughts and beliefs have been so far misconstrued from anything even close to what I believe, and I wanted to just state from my heart how I feel,” Schnapp insisted. “I only want peace, safety, and security for all innocent people affected by this conflict.”

Schnapp went on to say that holding conversations “with friends from Palestinian background” helped him learn more about Israel and Palestine. “One of the takeaways I’ve had is that we all hope for the same things, that being those innocent people still being held hostage in Gaza to be returned to their families and equally hope for an end to the loss of innocent lives in Palestine, so many of those people being women and children. It’s horrible to see,” he furthered on.

Highlighting hope for an end to violence as a goal common to “both sides”, Schnapp continued, “I stand against any killing of any innocent people, and I hope you guys all do, too. I just hope to one day see those two groups be able to live harmoniously together in that region, and I hope for 2024 online to see people be a little more understanding and compassionate and recognise that we’re all human regardless of our race, of our ethnicity, of our background, of our country of birth...”

However, the TikTok post triggered mixed reactions among fans, with many still calling for a boycott and questioning the timing of Schnapp's statement. Subsequently, the actor fully disabled the comments section on the TikTok video.

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Last year, Schnapp put up a long note after Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel in October that resulted in over 1,300 casualties. The Jewish actor stated that although Hamas is not representative of the Palestinian people, the only right side is Israel. “You either stand with Israel or you stand with terrorism. It shouldn't be a difficult choice. Shame on you,” Schnapp declared.

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