PUBLISHED ONOctober 30, 2023 6:01 AMByDrima ChakrabortyIn the social media age, celebrities can be scrutinised for everything they do — including the posts they like.
Korean-American singer Eric Nam recently received criticism after netizens discovered he had liked an Instagram post about the recent Israel-Palestine conflict.
Written by American political analyst Jordan C. Brown-Underwood, it read: "It is absolutely reasonable and logical to be opposed to the Israeli government's treatment of Palestinians while simultaneously calling for the protection of Jews in Israel and around the world."
The post was accused of hypocrisy by pro-Palestinian netizens.
Though Eric only liked the post and did not directly comment on the conflict, netizens took to the 34-year-old's recent Instagram posts to share their disapproval.
"Please Eric, get informed. Don't be on the wrong side of history," wrote one, while others shared that they were "disappointed" and "let down" by him.
Other netizens were harsher, claiming that Eric was supporting genocide in Gaza.
On the other hand, fans who appeared to be from Israel wrote that Eric was "on the right side" of the conflict and that they wanted him to hold a concert in their country.
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Many commented simply with either Palestinian or Israeli flag emojis.
In an Instagram post on Oct 27, Eric updated his tour dates to reflect the removal of a concert in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, originally scheduled for Feb 20, 2024.
Today (Oct 30), he shared a statement on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, confirming that he had done so due to the backlash he had received.
Malaysians are majority Muslim and many of them support Palestine.
Eric explained that he liked the Instagram post as he believed it expressed "a position of anti-violence, anti-hate and was against intolerance" as someone who was "always pro-human, pro-peace, and for love and equality for all."
"After that, I received threats related to my scheduled show in Kuala Lumpur," he continued. "Out of an abundance of caution for my team and my fans, I made the difficult decision to cancel the show."
Hi everyone - following the horrific events of October 7th, I liked a post that I believed expressed a position of anti-violence, anti-hate and was against intolerance.
— Eric Nam (에릭남) (@ericnamofficial) October 30, 2023
My liking of that post was a reaction to waking up to devastating news, as someone who has always been… pic.twitter.com/GyMx4Fuii0
Many netizens did not take well to the cancellation of the KL date.
A netizen who appeared to be from Malaysia wrote: "We were not threatening you, bro" and that the worst thing that would have happened was people boycotting his concert and leaving empty seats, or bringing Palestinian flags to it.
Another wrote: "So why didn't you put out a statement before cancelling the show explaining how you got threats, so you want to be careful?"
Others criticised the content of Eric's statement.
A netizen shared a Desmond Tutu quote that read: "If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the oppressor."
Another compared his statement, where Eric shared that his "heart is broken for the Palestinian and Israeli families" affected during the conflict, to Korean history.
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"It's like saying my heart is broken for Korean and Japanese families during the Japanese occupation of Korea," they wrote.
Some of Eric's fans stood behind him nevertheless.
"We've all been guilty of commenting on or liking a post before finding out important facts behind it. We're human. You're human," commented a fan, to backlash of their own.
Others thanked him for finally addressing the cancellation and reiterated their love and support for him.
Eric's Asia dates for his House on a Hill Tour now consist of Bangkok on Feb 16, 2024, Singapore on Feb 18, Taipei on Feb 22, Seoul on Feb 24 and Tokyo on Feb 26.
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drimac@asiaone.com
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