Celebs take to social media to champion for causes and express their positions on trending topics. But sometimes, like in the case of #FreePalestine, it appears that some celebs tweet too soon about causes that they know nothing about. The conflict between Israel and Palestine has recently been heavily presented in U.S. media. The violence has reached a fever pitch, with posts receiving thousands of reblogs on Tumblr and thousands of tweets per minute. Cue the celebs–wanting to garner attention for appearing socially conscious, despite knowing nothing about the reason for the hashtag. Basketballer Dwight Howard tweeted #FreePalestine, but not before the deleted tweet got some sharp backlash.
I apologize if I offended anyone with my previous tweet, it was a mistake!
— Dwight Howard (@DwightHoward) July 12, 2014
previous tweet was a mistake. I have never commented on international politics and never will.
— Dwight Howard (@DwightHoward) July 12, 2014
Rihanna, wanting in on the action, tweeted #FreePalestine as well, before deleting it. She has since published the following politically-correct message:
Let’s pray for peace and a swift end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict! Is there any hope?…. pic.twitter.com/jHD56KXkcu — Rihanna (@rihanna) July 15, 2014
Word to the wise: Google before tweeting. If you don’t want to step on toes or express an opinion, think before tweeting the message you’re about to send!