“Operation Blockout”: boycott demands that celebrities refrain from denouncing Israel with their platforms

For social media users calling for justice in the Gaza Strip, the Met Gala, also known as the “literal Hunger Games party,” has become a violent wall of glitz and beauty. Seldom has the sharp contrast between the paradise of the privileged few and the misery of the persecuted few been more apparent.

Now, with the military assault on Rafah continuing, which will kill millions of Palestinians, and a harsh police crackdown on pro-Palestinian student protestors, the outrageous riches display has proven to be the straw that broke the camel’s head.

Social media users are collectively barring celebrities who have not utilized their platforms to speak out against the crimes occurring in the Gaza Strip in order to demonstrate their unwavering support for the besieged Palestinian people. Middle East Eye claims that there is even a name for the widespread blocking: Operation Blockout.

In a video depicting the French Revolution with a guillotine, one user said, “It’s time to block all the celebrities, influencers, and wealthy socialites who are not using their resources to help those in dire need.” The TikTokker said in the video, which has since received over 1.7 million views, “We gave them their platforms.

LET’S GOOOOOOOOOOO #blockout2024 pic.twitter.com/ujPKgm09vn

— CritiCold (@ColdCriti) May 9, 2024

The only choice that makes sense for social media users demanding justice is Operation Blockout. On the defunct Twitter platform X, a user wrote, “They [celebrities] live off of our attention.” “If they don’t have any, they cease to exert their influence.”

The movement gained momentum after Tiktoker @Haleyybaylee, real name Haley Kalil, shared a video of herself lip-syncing to the hit song “let them eat cake” from Sofia Coppola’s 2006 film Marie Antoinette. In the video, Kalil is seen wearing an elaborate floral headpiece and gown, emulating Marie Antoinette. The outcry on social media happened almost immediately.

“The most insensitive thing I have seen so far is ‘let them eat cake’ while you drive by people protesting against famine and genocide outside the Met Gala,” one furious user tweeted. “The sound choice that you’re using today is WILD,” said an additional user. It is true that we live in a dystopian society.” One more person wrote, “Girl, read the room.”

“let them eat cake” while you passed people protesting against genocide and famine outside the met gala is the most out of touch thing that i have seen thus far. pic.twitter.com/bmfr8lF5LB

— Tayoncé Defense Attorney is sooo back (@lesbeyonsay) May 8, 2024

Beyond TikTok, X users have been advocating for the blocking of celebrities and social media influencers by posting videos and posts with the hashtag #Blockout2024. As a result, some celebrities have started commenting about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and Sudan, as many of them face the possibility of being named in Operation Blockout.

One person said, “Social pressure has worked so far on Lizzo and Hank Green in the past day or so, as well as a lot of creators that had yet to speak out,” in response to a query regarding the campaign’s efficacy.

Haley, meantime, apologized in an eight-minute video for her decision to make the sound effect “let them eat cake” and clarified that she was not, in fact, going to the Met Gala. “Innocent men, women, and children are dying, people don’t have access to food and water, people are being kicked out of their homes,” she continued, adding that these events are weighing hard on everyone’s emotions.

The American pop singer Lizzo shared two GoFundMe campaigns: one for humanitarian aid for Sudan and the other for a Palestinian family trying to raise money to try to escape Gaza. While some have acknowledged the gestures, others have written them off as a last-ditch effort to avoid being blocked. Some commenters emphasized that celebrities like Lizzo only contributed a portion of their income to campaigns, while having the resources to finance the evacuation of entire families from the war-torn area.