An influencer is receiving backlash after posting a TikTok of herself holding a sign that says “I’m Single” at a March for Israel on Tuesday.
Morgan Raum, a New York City-based influencer, posted the TikTok herself at the March for Israel in Washington D.C. In the video, she is seen running around the demonstration holding a sign that says, “I’m Single,” on one side and, “Hummus Not Hamas,” on the other.
Raum has received backlash for her video, as some TikTokers have said that her behavior is disrespectful to the Palestinian civilians who have been killed over the last month in Israel’s attacks on Gaza.
On Wednesday, Raum’s video had almost 100,000 views. She disabled the video’s comment section, and the Daily Dot has reached out to her via email.
@morgan.raum it’s called being efficient #israel #jewish #jewishtiktok #dating #marchforisrael ♬ IT GIRL – Sped up Version – Aliyah's Interlude
Multiple TikTokers stitched Raum’s video saying that the atmosphere at protests in support of Palestine is much different from what Raum showed in her video of the March for Israel.
TikToker @Chxuncey97 says, “If there is one video that shows how different these two sides are,” it’s Raum’s.
“As somebody who has been to pro-Palestinian protests, you don’t see people walking around dancing… You don’t see people looking for a partner,” @Chxuncey97 says in his TikTok.
At pro-Palestinian protests, @Chxuncey97 says that participants are focused on calling for a ceasefire and “calling for the liberation of other people.”
TikTok user LJ (@lja_9) also shared her experiences of attending pro-Palestinian protests.
“Palestinians are going to their protests with the names of dead children on their posters,” LJ says in a stitch of Raum’s video. According to CNN, Palestinian children count for “nearly half” of Gaza’s casualties, which has been reported to be more than 11,000 in total.
On Monday, Reuters reported that protests concerning the Israel-Hamas war “swept the globe” last month, especially in Europe, the Middle East, and the United States. According to data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, there were over 4,000 demonstrations in October.
In a stitched video responding to Raum’s behavior specifically, TikToker Brandon Triola said that it was a “disgusting act.”
“To the girl who posted this video,” Triola says, “you should be ashamed of yourself for being so ignorant.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Raum via email.
Update 6:19pm CT, Nov. 16: In a statement to the Daily Dot, Raum said that “nothing about what’s happening around the world right now is funny.”
“Often in the face of despair, we need to find light in order to keep moving forward,” she told the Daily Dot. “That is what Judaism is all about.”
She also said that some anti-Israel events have turned violent and that she was “grateful to peacefully protest alongside nearly 300,000 others for the safe return of the hostages, for my country, and for peace.”
“If the worst thing that happened at our rally in D.C. was a lighthearted sign and my sense of humor—an attempt at helping others cope with such immense loss and pain—then we are missing the forest for the trees,” Raum said. “And to be honest, we really do need more Jewish babies.”
