WASHINGTON, D.C: Cynthia Nixon, known for her role as Miranda Hobbes in ‘Sex and the City' declared on November 27, that she would be part of a group of activists undertaking a five-day-long hunger strike in an attempt to call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
The hunger strike has been called by numerous organizations, including the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR), the Adalah Justice Project (AJP), Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), the IfNotNow Movement, Dream Defenders, the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), the Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU), and the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), per Newsweek.
Nixon along with several other activists joined the hunger strike to demand a ceasefire in Gaza.
The 57-year-old actress said, “We have 15,000 civilians killed in 7 wks, 70% whom our children & women. That’s more civilians than were killed in 20 yrs of war in Afghanistan.”
The statement given by Nixon was, however, not welcomed by the netizens who rallied against her to criticize her stand in the Israel-Hamas War.
Why is Cynthia Nixon joining the hunger strike?
Nixon "joined prominent Muslim, Jewish and allied leaders, and state legislators from New York and Delaware" and announced her participation in the hunger strike.
In the press release given by the activists, they argued that "Israel is expected to intensify its genocidal bombing campaign on Gaza once the pause is over," where they cited a report based on comments allegedly made by Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
A temporary ceasefire has been called in the battle that started after Hamas militants' offensive at a music festival in Israel on October 7, killing 1200 concert-goers.
Nixon also told during the press conference that the two children she had with her former partner Danny Mozes are Jewish and they encouraged her to voice her support for promoting a ceasefire in Gaza.
She said, “As the mother of Jewish children whose grandparents are Holocaust survivors, I have been asked by my son to use my platform to project as loudly as possible that 'never again' means never again for everyone.”
Nixon added, "As an American, I am here to demand that our President [Joe Biden] stop funding the mass killing and starvation of thousands of innocent Palestinians, the majority of whom are children and women.”
Voicing her opinion in support of the ceasefire, the Emmy-winning actress added, “President Biden must use this moment to negotiate a permanent ceasefire that will bring all the hostages and political prisoners home and start to lay the foundation for a lasting peace."
Social media reacts to Cynthia Nixon's stance
As Cynthia Nixon's declaration came to the fore, she was met with harsh criticism for her decision from social media users.
One of the netizens said, "I encourage her to maintain her hunger strike as long as possible. In fact, forever."
"Eat well before you start. It’s going to be a long protest," commented another.
"Those numbers aren’t real and anyone who believes them is really out of touch," slammed another fan at Nixon's proclamation of the numbers of civilians killed in the Israel-Hamas War.
Someone else added, "? she can stand to lose some pounds."
"Comparing Afghanistan to Gaza is disingenuous," slammed another social media user.
"Ahhh, celebrity support, has the opposite effect these days, too many of them went on Caribbean Island vacations," said someone else.
"Why do celebrities believe the world needs to hear their opinions on things they do not understand Did Cynthia Nixon and the rest of them go live in Gaza Or Israel? Did they stand up for the 2 Palestinians murdered this week in the West Bank by Palestinians? Or talk about Syria?" asked someone else.
"Well there you go...this changes everything. Some actress from some tv show from sometime changes everything," said another netizen.