- The war in the Middle East rages on
- Fans are giving Alicia Keys some stick at the moment
- THIS is what she said that upset everyone
Alicia Keys has responded to backlash over a recent social media post that some deemed insensitive in light of the war between Israel and Hamas. According to CNN, in a since-deleted post, the singer and former coach on 'The Voice' shared a photo of herself in a green jacket and wrote in the caption, "What would you do if u weren’t afraid of anything??? Tell me your truth …I’ve had my eyes on paragliding," she wrote using the famous 'side-eye' emoji and the hashtag, "Monday energy."
The singer was immediately slammed for her post amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, whose terrorists used paragliders to attack an Israeli musical festival where they murdered at least 260 people. Some social media users also accused her of showing sympathy toward the terror group by wearing green, the same color as the Hamas flag.
Alicia probably meant no harm
As was to be expected, Alicia was not indifferent to the backlash and responded fairly quickly to clarify her intentions with her post. In a message later that same Monday, she explained things saying this: "The post I shared earlier was COMPLETELY unrelated in any way to the recent devastating loss of innocent lives. My heart has been breaking ... I pray for and stand for peace."
But for many, this was yet another example of a tone deaf celebrity in times of great crisis. "Are you kidding me? Is this some kind of twisted homage to the Hamas paragliders?," one comment read. "You are promoting the barbaric acts of the Hamas terrorists," another exclaimed. The world quickly pointed out how the comment was insensitive and crass. But many others came to her defense as well!
"I see people saying this is a stretch, let Alicia be the one to respond. But this account @StopAntisemites pointed out her outfit. Colours have meaning, last Thursday I wore blue and white for a reason. Sometimes people choose outfits to send subtle messages. Let us wait," read another reaction.
Someone else said: "She said exactly what she said wearing purposeful colors while doing it. Full stop." Another person reacted recently: "There is no way that was a mistake. How? What is the cryptic message about. It's horrific."
One person wrote: "Either she's been living under a rock the past week and has no clue this would be potentially disrespectful to those who just suffered from terrorists on Paraglides, or it's intentionally disrespectful and in support of Hamas."
She really stepped in it this time!
As many people have rightly pointed out...Alicia seems to have just been talking about wanting to paraglide, which makes sense considering where she lives down near San Diego. She and her husband, Swizz Beatz, are actually right near a well-known paragliding spot. Others have also mentioned a controversial decision of hers in 2013 to perform in Israel, despite some publicly asking her not to. So, it looks like she clearly meant no harm here.
And her friends in Hollywood have also stepped up to help her, as they know how damaging the public can be! Israeli-American talent manager Guy Oseary, who had previously managed Keys while she was with his company Maverick, defended the singer on Instagram. "There’s talk of an antisemitic post that my dear friend Alicia Keys had up on her Instagram," Oseary wrote. "I can confirm to anyone in my community that needs to hear it: it’s NOT true."
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"There was a specific word in her post that our community at this very painful time find very triggering, but it was absolutely not connected in any way," Oseary continued. "I spoke to Alicia and she was horrified to learn what the word implied and immediately took it down."
He added, "Alicia has always been a fighter for all human rights. I’ve had a front row seat for over a decade of seeing her positive influence in the world. Her humanitarian work reflects her empathy and her heart." Keys previously mentioned having an interest in paragliding in a 2021 interview with the popular radio show 'The Breakfast Club.' In all likelihood this will blow over, but emotions are still raw as the conflict is still raw.
Who knows if this will affect her immediate career? In any case, it seems like it will be a big learning moment for Alicia who will think twice before posting anything anymore!
