The Brief: Blue Squares on Instagram are part of #BlueOutFriday which is a social media demonstration against anti-Semitism.
DEEP DIVE
Instagram users are posting blue squares on the app as a sign of solidarity with the Jewish community against anti-Semitism. These blue squares are also associated with the hashtag #BlueOutFriday. There are over 11,300 posts with the tag at the time of publication.
Recently, there has been a rise in verbal, physical, and online attacks against the Jewish community. Jewish political leaders and community members are warning of the conflict between Israel and Gaza fueling anti-Semitic attacks, reports Forbes. This comes after a ceasefire was called between Israel and Hamas after an 11-day war where 248 people were killed, including 66 children, andΒ more than 1,900 were left wounded, according to Reuters.
#BlueOutFriday posts call for a stop on the hateful rhetoric and violent attacks against Jewish people.
View this post on Instagram
Some of the posts also aim to clarify that the Israeli attacks on Palestine are not representative of every Jewish person.”Every JEW does NOT represent Israel. Israel does NOT represent every Jew. #StandUpAgainstAntiSemitism,” wrote comedian David Krumholtz.
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
Some are critical of these posts as they appear to mimic the controversial black squares that appeared during the BLM movement. Many saw them as performative and harmful, as they wound up bombarding important hashtags and silencing important messages from the Black community.