Alicia Keys Responds To Accusations Of Antisemitism After Paragliding Post

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 04: Alicia Keys performs onstage during the Platinum Party at the Palace in front of Buckingham Palace on June 04, 2022 in London, England. The Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II is being celebrated from June 2 to June 5, 2022, in the UK and Commonwealth to mark the 70th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II on 6 February 1952. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Grammy Award-winning artist Alicia Keys shared her interest in paragliding on Instagram this week.

In a now-deleted Instagram post, she asked her fans, “What would you do if you weren’t afraid of anything?”

She then said that she had her “eyes on paragliding…”

In the photo, Keys is wearing a green-and-black leather jacket.

This isn’t the first time Keys mentioned her interest in paragliding. Back in 2021, she mentioned it while on the popular radio show The Breakfast Club.

Shortly after making the post, Keys was met with strong backlash.

It even caught the attention of the Stop Antisemitism organization, which called her Instagram post a “sick ode” to Hamas.

People accused her of being insensitive since Hamas used paragliders to launch an attack on a music festival.

They also compared her jacket to the Palestinian flag because both have similar color schemes.

Some assumed this was her way of supporting Hamas.

Since then, Keys has deleted the post and made an Instagram story responding to the accusations of being antisemitic.

“The post I shared earlier was COMPLETELY unrelated in any way to the recent devastating loss of innocent lives,” she wrote.

She then added, “My heart has been breaking…. I pray for and stand for peace.”

Her talent manager, Guy Oseary, who is Jewish, also responded to the backlash by confirming that his “dear friend Alicia” is not antisemitic in an Instagram post featuring the two hugging.

He added that she took down the post because she was “horrified” by the suggestion that she supported Hamas.

He directed his post to members of Jewish community, who might have felt “triggered” by a “specific word.” He reassured everyone that he had witnessed Keys’ humanitarian work firsthand and that she had “always been a fighter for all human rights.”