Fans of US popstar Taylor Swift are urging her to speak out on Gaza, as the 'All Eyes On Rafah' hashtag takes social media by storm.
The 34-year-old singer’s fanbase, known for being very active online, have started their own hashtag: #SwiftiesForPalestine. They are calling on Swift to break her silence on the Gaza war, where more than 36,000 people, mostly women and children, have been killed by Israel’s ruthless and indiscriminate war.
Celebrities are being criticised for being detached from the reality of what’s happening in Gaza and other warzones. Some social media users have urged people to stop giving them attention, pushing another hashtag #Blockout2024.
Swift has reportedly already lost over 200,000 followers across different social media platforms for staying quiet on the mass killing in Gaza.
"Taylor Swift, your silence has been deafening and in times like these you should speak up!!" one X user said.
A statement titled "Speak Now, Taylor," signed only "Free Palestine", has circulated on social media.
"Speak now, #SwiftiesForPalestine, there are children being burned alive and beheaded in Rafah so SPEAK NOW TAYLOR," it said.
A massacre earlier this week which left at least 45 people dead - some burned alive - at a displacement camp in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip caused more global outrage against Israel. A second massacre a day later killed over 20 people in the same area.
It prompted one person in Malaysia, to create an AI-generated image depicting a sprawling displacement camp in what it supposed to be Rafah, caption "All Eyes on Rafah."
The image has been shared by over 40 million people around the world so far.
Swifties – as the Bad Blood singer’s fans are referred to – are using her Eras Tour as a platform to talk about Gaza, encouraging people to exchange bracelets which bear messages of solidarity for Palestine.
The Eras Tour has been ongoing since March last year and will continue until December this year.
Swift was in the news in October last year soon after the war in Gaza broke out, after one of her bodyguards on tour reportedly left the US to join the Israeli army.
The Shake It Off singer has been criticised for staying silent on other global issues before.
While many celebrities have used their platforms to raise awareness on Palestine and call for a ceasefire in Gaza, others have refused amid a censorious climate in the US in particular, or have come out in support of Israel.