Taylor Swift attends pro-Palestine comedy show in NYC
OAN’s Elizabeth Volberding
6:00 PM – Monday, December 11, 2023
Popular pop singer and songwriter Taylor Swift made a surprise appearance at Ramy Youssef’s comedy show in Brooklyn, New York. The show was organized to raise funds for Gaza and Palestinians, and Swift attended along with her high-profile friends including Cara Delevingne, Selena Gomez, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Zoë Kravitz.
Ramy Youssef, an American-Egyptian comedian, announced that all proceeds from ticket sales and merchandise would be donated to American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA). Swift has not publicly commented on the war, and it is unclear if she or the other celebrities attending the event made additional donations.
ANERA aims to provide necessary emergency aid to the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, and Jordan. The organization also shares news updates and reported information on the current war in Palestine.
ANERA, founded in 1968, claims to have no political or religious affiliation, although it provides aid to majority-Muslim areas. However, the charity has been criticized for its alleged bias in presenting a one-sided view of the conflict.
“ANERA’s reports and newsletters present a highly biased view of the conflict, ignoring any Palestinian responsibility for hardship and contributing to the demonization of Israel consistent with the 2001 Durban strategy,” according to ngo-monitor.org.
Pro-Palestinian advocates have called on celebrities like Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez to use their platforms to raise awareness and demand a cease-fire. Some fans have criticized Swift for her silence on the ongoing conflict.
“I’m a massive Taylor Swift fan, and you can make the argument that pop stars shouldn’t need to speak out about war/conflict/genocide (I disagree but you can argue this). But Taylor has defined herself as someone who now speaks out on issues, even if it costs her,” one X (Twitter) user wrote. “Taylor must feel something about the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. Her silence is an active choice and it betrays the image of herself that she created.”
Selena Gomez, who also attended the comedy show, has faced similar scrutiny for not speaking out about the war. Gomez recently announced a break from social media, stating that she wishes she could do more to change the world.
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