Singer Ashley Frangipane (stage name Halsey) has been criticised since October for remaining silent on the genocide in Gaza, a cause she had previously spoken up about. The singer finally took to Instagram to release a statement, confirming that her politics remain unchanged.
The ‘Colors’ singer wrote that she chose to remain silent after receiving extensive death threats for her political stances in the past.
“I am, truthfully, exceptionally anxious about navigating my responsibility as a career activist as it pertains to my daily life off of social media: Being the mother of a small child and a member of my community, in addition to the contribution of my greater voice and platform The global conversation has reached a volatility that I’m having a hard time navigating here and and offline.”
“During my last tour,” continued the ‘Gasoline’ artist, “I had a volume of violent and threatening events occur that resulted in my home being swatted multiple times and required the presence of snipers in the sky during most of the shows that summer. After that happened , I made a conscious decision to protect my family from people who plan to enact violence towards me in disagreement of my opinions.”
Continuing in the next slide, Halsey added that it didn’t feel right, her silence on the Palestinian genocide is keeping her from speaking out about families enduring violence in Gaza.
“However it doesn’t sit right with me that a decision I made for my own family is in turn keeping me from vocalizing support for families enduring far worse violence. Families caught between the brawling hands of a militarized government and a terrorist organization, and the diaspora of both parties trying to get through each and every day.”
“I have no meaningful statement or excuse to make that could justify my weeks of silence this time around. And I deeply despise the culture of deflecting responsibility to save face in front of the audience demanding comment. So instead I’m coming here to call it for what it is, admit my regret, and reaffirm my stance regarding the liberation of the Palestinian people.”
