While several celebrities have spoken out about the Israel/Palestine conflict, Halsey has been uncharacteristically quiet recently. The singer had previously been vocal about her thoughts on both Israel and Palestine.
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However, now Halsey is breaking her silence, citing fears for her family’s safety as to why she hasn’t spoken out until now.
Halsey Defends Silence
Taking to Instagram story, Halsey explained her thoughts over the past few weeks. According to the singer, she didn’t have many excuses for not speaking out, writing, “A few people have suggested it’s cowardice. And to be completely honest, it is.”
According to Halsey, she chose to remain silent after facing public criticism for her past views. That criticism led to threats of violence against both Halsey and her family. Living in fear caused the singer to reexamine what she shared publicly.
“The global conversation has reached a level of volatility that I’m having a hard time navigating here and offline,” Halsey shared. “During my last tour, I had a volume of violent and threatening events occur that resulted in my home being swatted multiple times and required the presence of snipers in the sky during most of my shows that summer. After that happened, I made a conscious decision to protect my family from people who plan to enact violence towards me in disagreement of my opinions.”
However, the singer admitted that she was tired of living in fear and stifling her views. In her Instagram story, Halsey reaffirmed her support for Palestine and revealed that she also made donations to support organizations for the liberation of Palestine. However, she closed her story by calling for the end of hate on both sides.
She wrote, “My politics are uncomplicated and remain unchanged. I condemn any organized body of power unleashing acts of violence against innocent civilians. The rise of Antisemitism and Islamophobia is undeniable. I stand against hate speech in all forms. I stand for freedom and the right to live safely.”
Previous Comments on the Issue
It’s not the first time that Halsey has commented on the conflict. Back in 2021, Halsey faced criticism by tweeting (via Yahoo News), “It is not ‘too complicated to understand’ that brown children are being murdered + people are being displaced under the occupation of one of the most powerful armies in the world. It is wilful ignorance to conflate these simple horrors with religion + geopolitics.”
This led to backlash from fans and other people online.
Halsey’s message in full from Instagram:
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