Malaysian celebrities have shown immense support for the people of Palestine with some joining rallies and boycotting international brands in solidarity with Palestinians against their oppressors. With that being said, there’s a line that one should never cross when going against genocide.
Malaysian singer Kaka Azraff announced that her contract with Warner Music has ended. The reason for the termination was because the singer sent an antisemitic and homophobic DM when she replied to Australian actor, Nathaniel Buzolic’s pro-Israel propaganda Instagram Story.
In the screenshot shown above, the mother-of-two said, “Because Israel was the one that started it! They were the ones who stole [Palestinian’s] land and now they’re acting like the victims? WTF? Sick people! Hitler should’ve just killed all Israeli people! F**king faggot!”. Due to this, Warner Music took immediate action and terminated the artist’s contract with them.
The “Hilang” songstress addressed the issue in a press conference where she clarified that she had no intention of spreading hate and that she just wanted to show support for Palestine. “Despite everything, I’m not changing my stance. I’m still with the people of Palestine. I admit I should’ve used better words but I’ve said what I’ve said and I now have to take accountability for my actions,” she stated.
Although the singer has explained her side of the story, netizens called her out for the antisemitic and homophobic message. Many felt that Kaka shouldn’t have glorified Hitler’s war crimes while also showing support for Palestine’s liberation. Some urged the 34-year-old to learn the difference between Zionists and Jewish people.
Takpalah Kaka, ada peluang yang lebih baik menanti di luar sana.
PC tadi Kaka cakap memang kontrak dia dah ditamatkan kerana bersuara mengenai isu Palestin – Israel menerusi media sosial.
Terima kasih kerana menggunakan platform anda untuk bersuara mempertahankan mereka
— 🍉Arif E.🍉 (@arfdy12) December 6, 2023
Kaka Azraff herself has yet to respond to netizens’ comments, however, one person was willing to speak on her behalf. Music manager and social media consultant Joe Lee revealed that he spoke with Kaka after the issue went viral. In a thread, he stated that he had a long phone conversation with the local celeb about her poor choice of words and explained to her how she was wrong for using them.
“Kaka admitted she did it in the heat of the moment, angered by the propaganda video. Yes, that does NOT justify the use of the slurs and crass manner of how she worded what she said but she’s taking full responsibility for allowing herself to send such a hateful message. Personally, I know Kaka is an ally of the community and has never been homophobic,” he tweeted.
In the same thread, Joe also explained how Kaka isn’t necessarily the only one at fault as many Malaysians grew up with the belief that Zionism and Judaism are the same thing. He also believes that Warner Music isn’t completely guiltless in this matter saying that they, Sony Music and Universal Music Group (UMG) have previously shown their support for Israel. If you wish to gain a better understanding of the situation with the music label(s), you can check out the thread here.
Obviously, there’s more to the story than meets the eye. After learning the full story, was Warner Music right to terminate Kaka Azraff’s contract?
