Selena Gomez has finally broken her silence on the Israel-Palestine conflict, but her announcement didn’t quite meet her fans’ expectations. The 31-year-old singer took to Instagram to express her decision to step away from social media, citing her distress over the violence and terror in the world, particularly in the context of the conflict. While she condemned the violence against innocent civilians, her statement that a social media post couldn’t bring about change didn’t sit well with her followers.
In her Instagram Story, Selena wrote, “I’ve been taking a break from social media because my heart breaks to see all of the horror, hate, violence, and terror that’s going on in the world. People being tortured and killed or any act of hate towards any one group is horrific. We need to protect ALL people, especially children, and stop the violence for good. I’m sorry if my words will never be enough for everyone or a hashtag. I just can’t stand by innocent people getting hurt. That’s what makes me sick. I wish I could change the world. But a post won’t.”
Selena’s fans expressed disappointment, questioning why she had remained silent on the issue for so long before sharing this Instagram Story. They reminded her of her role as a UNICEF Ambassador since 2009 and threatened to boycott her beauty products.
“Shame on YOU. You advocate kindness and everything else a lot and when it comes to speaking up about genocide suddenly a post won’t make a difference. You have a MASSIVE influence and you have the power and voice to propagate the right message to MILLIONS of people but you choose not to,” one verified user wrote on Instagram.
“Not touching your brand ever again. So disappointed that you support a state that’s committing mass genocide and then build up a whole brand around mental health. Highly hypocritical,” wrote another Instagram user.