Kim Kardashian’s Response to Protester Sparks Fierce Debate

Kim Kardashian’s response to a protester campaigning for a “free Palestine” has caused controversy online.

On May 6, the Israel Defense Forces announced that it had begun “conducting targeted strikes against Hamas terror targets in eastern Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip,” part of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war that began in October and has since sparked widespread protests. Overnight, there were further Israeli airstrikes on Rafah, considered the Gaza Strip’s “last refuge,” where more than 1 million displaced Palestinians are sheltering.

Tuesday, Kardashian attended the OMR Festival in Hamburg, Germany, to discuss the success of Skims, her clothing and shapewear company. While she was onstage, the event was interrupted by a member of the audience who repeatedly shouted, “Free Palestine.”

While security personnel escorted the protester out of the building, the event’s host apologized to those onstage, and the reality TV star responded: “It’s okay. Free everybody”—a comment that has divided users on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

Newsweek has contacted a spokesperson for Kardashian for comment via email.

Pop Crave, an entertainment news company, posted about the incident on its X account. At the time of writing, the post had received 7.8 million views and hundreds of comments, with many users criticizing Kardashian for not supporting Palestinians.

“Why is it so hard for celebrities to give the bare minimum? demand a ceasefire and a free Palestine,” one user wrote.

“No Kim it’s Free Palestine,” another added. “You are free, no one is dropping bombs on your city and killing babies in your city because they will grow up and resist an occupying apartheid state. So it is Free Palestine.”

Another commenter wrote: “Girl f*** you. For those who still don’t know the meaning, this is the equivalent of saying ‘all lives matter’ to the BLM movement. She’s so sheltered and lives in her own f****** bubble. Never gonna forget her ‘no one wants to work nowadays‘ s*** either.”

“Free palestine. so tired of these privileged ass millionaires. the amount of STUPIDITY,” another added.

Other users defended Kardashian, with some agreeing with her comment.

“I mean … she kinda has a point when it’s literally a g*nocide also in Congo?” a commenter said.

Another user wrote, “We stand with her.”

Kardashian has had a busy week. The day before the business festival in Germany, she attended the Met Gala, and Sunday, she was among the celebrities at The Greatest Roast of All Time: Tom Brady, part of the Netflix Is a Joke Fest.

The event, hosted by comedian Kevin Hart, saw multiple comedians and Brady’s onetime NFL teammates making jokes at the retired quarterback’s expense.

Taking the stage at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California, Kardashian addressed rumors from 2023 that she dated Brady. However, when she first took to the mic, she faced boos from the crowd. It wasn’t until Hart asked the audience to give her a chance to speak that the jeers subsided.