The band Imagine Dragons sets social media ablaze after waving Palestinian flag at Milan concert
Rock band Imagine Dragons set social media ablaze after lead singer Dan Reynolds waved a Palestinian flag on stage during a concert in Milan, Italy on Tuesday.
Video clips of Reynolds picking up a Palestinian flag and waving it before draping it across his shoulders at the concert's end racked up millions of views and drew mixed reactions on social media.
The band's frontman also kissed the flag and threw it back into the crowd.
Palestinians on social media praised the band for its support. One post that reached over one million views applauded the "powerful gesture."
"Very nice to see more people showing support," another pro-Palestinian account posted.
Liberals also applauded the band for appearing to take a political stand while they poked fun at the band over their dislike of their music.
"Omg Radiohead has now been lapped by IMAGINE DRAGONS?!?" Stand-up comedian Matt Lieb wrote in a post that reached over two million views.
Lieb was referring to the band Radiohead telling off an anti-Israel heckler during a show last October.
"Imagine Dragons are now on the very short list of respectable celebs," another person praised.
But Jewish fans of the band and pro-Israel commentators expressed their disappointment and outrage.
"It looks like the band 'Imagine Dragons' supports terrorism," ACT for America Chairman Brigitte Gabriel wrote.
"You know it's moments like these where I genuinely don't know what to do with myself anymore... I actually really liked Imagine Dragons, But now it seems they genuinely hate my people," one Jewish fan posted, adding, "It's disgusting how people still view Palestine as a moral virtue when it's all a myth."
One popular post by a Jewish woman who says her grandparents were Holocaust survivors accused the band of "waving their solidarity with terrorists."
"They're calling for 'gay rights' and 'Free Palestine,'" her post continued.
"Essentially, they just called for the deaths of all gay people — and their music career. Goodnight, Imagine Dragons."
The band is outspoken about its support for the LGBTQ community and Reynolds waved "Progress Pride" flags at previous shows.
During the Milan concert, Reynolds also waved a Ukrainian flag.
Representatives of Imagine Dragons did not immediately return a request for comment.
The band faced blowback for playing in Israel in August 2023, before the October 7 Hamas terror attacks.
During a July 2024 interview with Rolling Stone, Reynolds said he didn't have any regrets about playing shows in Israel and in Azerbaijan.
"I don't believe in depriving our fans who want to see us play because of the acts of their leaders and their governments. I think that's a really slippery slope. I think the second you start to do that, there's corrupt leaders and warmongers all over the world, and where do you draw the line?" Reynolds told the outlet.
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