Lizzo Thanks Pro-Palestinian Activists, Anti-Israel College Protesters While Accusing Jewish State of ‘Genocide’
by Shiryn Ghermezian
Lizzo attends the 2024 Breakthrough Prize Ceremony at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on April 13, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Photo: CraSH/imageSPACE/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect
Lizzo on Monday thanked activists who are protesting on behalf of “Palestine” and other regions in the world, and added that student-led, anti-Israel protests taking place on college and university campuses across the US are “deeply important.”
The singer, whose real name is Melissa Viviane Jefferson, said in a video message on her Instagram page that she wanted “to take a second and give a personal thank-you to all of the activists who have been working tirelessly to help the liberation and the freedom of the people who have been genocided all over the world, specifically Palestine, Sudan, and the Congo.”
The About Damn Time singer said that because she “has worked closely with activists” in the past, she knows “the toll it can take on your mental and your physical [health], and it can feel thankless.”
“So if you haven’t heard today, thank you,” she added. “Your work is not in vain. You have helped so many people. You have saved literal lives.”
Lizzo then went on to discuss how she pulled away from the spotlight over the last year because she was in a “deep dark depression,” battling some “mental health crises and episodes.” The singer was sued in August by three of her former dancers for allegedly creating a hostile work environment and other wrongdoings, including sexual harassment and religious and racial discrimination. The lawsuit is on hold while Lizzo appeals a ruling that allows the case to move forward.
“Between the loss I experienced in my personal life and the state of the world, I had been rendered into an emotional state where I cannot process or handle anything. It was very dark,” Lizzo said in her video message. The Truth Hurts singer then explained that the efforts by activists around the world motivated her “to get my ass up and get back to who I am.”
She continued on to thank the many “anti-genocide, anti-war” student-led protests taking place on college and university campuses in the US. “What these students have done and are doing is so deeply important,” she said. “I can’t even express it in one video.”
At many universities, demonstrators have been filmed expressing support for the Hamas terrorist group, calling for Israel’s destruction, and threatening to harm members of the Jewish community on campus.
Lizzo concluded her video by mentioning the work of Operation Olive Branch, a volunteer-led grassroots aid organization that supports and helps secure aid to Palestinian families. She said she is talking to other activists and will soon share “more information on how you can help these ongoing genocides in the world, because we ain’t free until we all free.”
