#SwiftiesforPalestine: Taylor Swift fans urge her to speak up on Gaza conflict

Taylor Swift is one of many celebrities facing criticism amid the "Block Out 2024" movement, which gained traction on TikTok. This movement arose as a response to celebrities who, despite leading luxurious lifestyles, have remained silent on the severe realities of the conflict in Gaza.

It appears that Swift's fans, commonly referred to as Swifties, have also jumped on this bandwagon. According to reports from the South China Morning Post, this trend has resulted in Swift losing over 200,000 followers.

In December 2023, Taylor Swift attended a Gaza Fundraising event hosted by Egyptian comedian Ramy Youssef. Youssef’s initiative supports organizations aiding Palestine and pledged to donate 100 percent of its event proceeds to the non-governmental organization American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA) for Gaza relief efforts.

However, since her attendance at the event last year, Swift has notably remained silent about the conflict, despite several fellow celebrities, including Ariana Grande, Dua Lipa, and Swift’s close friend Gigi Hadid, adding their names to an Artists for Ceasefire letter addressed to Joe Biden.

“This is about lives and justice – if she can rally all of us to vote, she has the power to speak up about injustice,” expressed a TikTok user identifying as a “Palestinian Swiftie,” advocating for blocking, unfollowing, and discontinuing streaming her idol.

Eras Tour fan project

Despite not receiving support from their idol Taylor Swift, Swifites are uniting to raise awareness about the ongoing war.

Throughout Swift’s sold-out Eras tour, fans have been exchanging friendship bracelets typically containing references to the Grammy-winning artist's songs and albums. However, more recently, fans are encouraging each other to create bracelets expressing support for Palestine.

“If you’re attending any eras shows please consider making and exchanging Palestine bracelets! If you can bring the palestinian flag, posters, etc. We must keep Palestine in the public eye and encourage Taylor to speak up #SwiftiesForPalestine,” one fan posted on X.

A graphic is also circulating among fan accounts detailing “a few simple things we (Swifties) can do in order to highlight Palestine at the Eras Tour.”

(Image: ofthemisery on X)