Zayn Malik Reshares 12-Year-Old “Free Palestine” Post

LONDON: British singer and former One Direction member Zayn Malik reshared a screenshot of his July 2014 “#FreePalestine” post amid recent debate over his stance on Palestine, writing: “This is for all the confused people! Check the date.”
Malik originally posted the message on 28 July 2014 on X, then known as Twitter. It contained only the hashtag. Posted during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, it drew more than 100,000 reshares in its first days. The Washington Post reported at the time that it had been shared about 150,000 times. Malik faced intense online backlash, including threatening messages from some users, but did not delete the post.
The latest debate was sparked by remarks at a concert during his recent South American tour, where he said he believed no life is insignificant and then said “free everybody.” He did not name any country or conflict. Some social media users questioned his current position and compared his comments with the recent controversy involving Macklemore and Ed Sheeran.
Malik’s stance has not been limited to 2014. In May 2021, during renewed large-scale fighting in Gaza, he expressed solidarity with the Palestinian people, citing the loss of Palestinian children and families and saying people could not stand by silently. He has not issued a new detailed political statement with the latest post.