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Fans Protest In Front Of HYBE America Demanding The Removal Of Scooter Braun

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    • In the wake of the ongoing onslaught on civilian lives in Gaza, Palestine, at the hands of Israel, multiple communities have mobilized to voice their dissent, and the K-Pop community is no exception. Fans of HYBE artists have been vocal about their opposition to Scooter Braun’s presence in the company for months now. But on March 23, KST (March 22, PST), they held a physical protest in front of the HYBE America office for the first time.

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    Bang Si Hyuk (left) and Scooter Braun | @scooterbraun/Instagram

    The online movement asking “#HYBEDivestFromZionism” has been spearheaded by Palestinian fans (namely @ARMY4Palestine on X), who, apart from speaking up against Scooter Braun’s keen involvement with the Israeli government, have also organized multiple donation drives to alleviate the suffering of the people in Gaza with the support of their allies.

    In the past few months, this group of fans has tried to reach out to HYBE and its chairperson, Bang Si Hyuk, through trending hashtags, petitioning, and even by sending a protest truck to the HYBE Seoul headquarters. Despite intense pushback from their own fandoms, they have called for a boycott of HYBE merch and products until their demands are met.

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    | @btsprodsuga/Twitter

    This collective action project, dubbed “Boot The Scoot,” finally amounted to a physical protest on March 23 at the HYBE America office, where Scooter Braun serves as the CEO. Fans showed up at the place with banners and marched for hours, chanting slogans demanding HYBE divest from Zionism as multiple vehicles honked by in solidarity. This demonstration was largely led by the Palestinian Youth Movement, an organization of young Palestinians who have been leading pro-Palestinian protests all over the US.

    ARMYs present in the crowd also sang BTS‘s “Spring Day” in honor of the innocent lives lost in Gaza.

    According to the protestors on site, an individual named Nasim, whom Braun had previously introduced as his Palestinian-American friend when the backlash against his support for Zionism started picking up pace was also seen at the protest, allegedly trying to dissuade participants. He also allegedly tried to make a case about Braun’s “donations” to Gaza behind the scenes, a claim that has been met with much skepticism.

    While the group was protesting at the location, the allied fans who couldn’t make it physically to the protest took it upon themselves to flood X (formerly Twitter) with evidence of Braun’s deep involvement with the current government of Israel and his apparent role as its mouthpiece, even at the expense of the artists under him. Citing these instances, those fans put forth their disapproval of Braun being closely associated with HYBE artists.

    So far, the company has not responded to the protest, though many participants claim that HYBE American employees were at the building’s windows, watching the demonstration. While the protest was still ongoing, Braun was also seen posting links to a charity organization in his Instagram story. However, the credibility of this very organization, particularly in its role in aiding people in Gaza, has been questioned.

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    Screenshot 2024-03-23 044549

    Later, he posted a collection of pictures on his feed, including one with Bang Si Hyuk, with the caption, “Epic Fridays.” However, after some fans started mentioning the protest under the post, he limited the comments.

    While the protest has been hailed as a massive success by fans online, they have also expressed their intention to continue speaking up until their demands of divestment are met. Whether HYBE reiterates its previous statement, risking another public backlash, or takes the other route this time remains to be seen.


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