A group of pro-Palestinian activists in Japan protested at a fan meetup Nas Daily’s Nuseir Yassin is known for, accusing the vlogger of whitewashing Israel’s actions in Gaza. The popular Israeli-Palestinian vlogger organised the event in Tokyo, where demonstrators held up signs accusing him of being an Israeli propaganda tool. Some of the signs read, “We don’t need influencers who are complicit in genocide” and “Jews for a free Palestine.”

While some of the attendees sympathised with the cause that was represented by Yassin, others identified with the protesters, one attendee said on camera that after listening to both sides of the story, they could not possibly support Yassin anymore. The protesters kept accusing him of using his pulpit to belittle the suffering of the Palestinians. “Basic humanity is not laugh when somebody is dying,” charged one of the protesters. “He is making a joke out of it.”

A protest on social media quickly circulated after Yassin posted that he sympathised with the activists but wanted a “Free Palestine from Hamas, from terrorism, from radical religion.” He claimed activists merely wanted a “Free Palestine from Jews.” That post triggered internet criticism, labelling him misleading and gaslighting those under occupation. Now the critics would say that freedom from occupation and apartheid is what the people yearn for, not freedom from the Jewish people.

‘Yassin has faced such consequences in the past, too, mainly when he supported Israel and equated Israeli experiences with those of Palestinians under occupation’. When Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023, Yassin himself put his position straight by speaking for Israel and thereby branding himself as “Israeli first, Palestinian second.” He has presented himself on countless occasions as an advocate of peace and coexistence but is criticised for washing off the stains that Israel has on its back in the conflict.

Earlier this year, the BDS movement urged people to boycott Yassin, whose UAE-backed training program for Arab content creators continues to be seen as normalisation with Israel. Yassin’s popularity aside, standing on issues related to Palestine and Israel remains one of the most contentious matters in the Arab world.

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