As Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza approaches its third year and its most murderous phase yet, the once-unshakable elite cultural consensus around Zionism is fracturing. With Israel’s favorability sinking to record lows among Western publics, more and more artists, musicians, performers, and athletes are defying institutional gag orders and voicing solidarity with Palestine.
Even in the days and weeks after October 7, a number of celebrities swam against the overwhelming tide of Zionist atrocity propaganda and called out the unfolding g*nocide. Most were trailblazers in their own right for Muslim and/or Arab advancement in spheres as diverse as MMA, basketball, and comedy. Virtually all faced a torrent of virulently racist abuse, but as the g*nocide grinds on this once-lonely vanguard has grown into a flood.
The mere act of wearing pro-ceasefire apparel once earned both vitriol and praise far out of proportion to its material impact. Now, artists like Bob Vylan openly use Glastonbury’s stage to call for “d*ath, d*ath to the IDF” and elicit a surge in popularity and mass support. It’s a damning sign that Israel’s once-vaunted propaganda machine is in terminal decline.
