Big Time Rush singer James Maslow has shared a video of himself in Israel, wearing a press vest.
In an Instagram story posted yesterday, Maslow recorded himself standing in a pile of rubble, wearing a dirtied press vest. He explained that he's in Be'eri, a settlement in southern Israel near the Gaza strip, and that he'll be spending the week there, "seeing with [his] own eyes what happened."
The video was shared to X, where it quickly caught on and sparked outrage, with many calling his trip to Be'eri a publicity stunt.
james maslow added to my shitlist pic.twitter.com/ic2uUXuiu3
— jovi ???????????? (@wakeupongoodbye) November 21, 2023
In an earlier Instagram story, Maslow shared a photo of himself on his way to Israel. "Another [plane emoji]," he wrote. "This time for a good cause."
In a TikTok posted yesterday, user @simplysimone shared a screenshot of Maslow's story, in disbelief over the situation. "Does Israel want every form of celebrity to be there?" she asked incredulously. "They got him a press vest and he's not even there for press."
@simplysimone Yeah the reunion era is done cause WHAT THE ACTUAL F-
♬ original sound - Simone Umba
Commenters on @simplysimone's video pointed out Maslow's squeaky clean appearance, which they say is an indication that the video was a PR stunt.
"The fact that he is so clean…. He got a little blush on….. not a speck of rubble or dirt," one user wrote.
"you mean he had time to do his hair and makeup while posing in the background with rubble ⁉️" another asked.
Users on X were enraged by the video, calling it a tone deaf gesture after Israel has killed nearly 50 journalists since Oct. 7, across Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon.
"How DARE u, a privileged rich American, wear that press vest," one user wrote. "the same vest that Palestinian journalists wear that are getting KILLED for showing the world the genocide of their ppl, to spread propaganda that justifies their murder?"
Today, Maslow shared a video of himself at Kibbutz Be'eri, walking through the remains of a house that appears to have been burned down.
In his video, Maslow shows off different objects in the house: a book, a piano, a tennis racket, and children's toys. In the caption, he wrote, "Kibbutz Be’eri: a communal village on the Gaza border, and one that suffered one of the worst attacks by Hamas on October 7th. 85 murdered of the one thousand residents, and 26 taken captive."
Residents of Be'eri, among them those grieving loved ones lost in the attacks on the kibbutz, have spoken out against Israel's attacks on Gaza and called for a ceasefire.
In an interview with Al Jazeera published last week, one resident condemned the Israeli government's carpet bombing campaign against Gaza, which has claimed the lives of over 14,000 people, over 5,800 of which were children.
"We are just drowning in our own violence and blood," he said. "Israel won’t cure our dead babies by killing more babies."
The Daily Dot reached out to Maslow's public relations team via email.
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