Zara Larsson

Larsson posted that she 'hated ICE', while listing her love of immigrants, transgender people, abortion, socialism and, in provocative wording, 'criminals'. The White House responded with a pro-ICE TikTok video using her song Lush Life.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

Responding on TikTok to a fan who said she had discovered she was pregnant after one of Larsson's concerts and subsequently had an abortion, Larsson posted a joke many internet users considered insensitive. She later claimed that the controversy had cost her a $3 million advertising contract, the largest of her career.

State of the evidence

Reported by the press

Attribution

Personally implicated

Larsson subsequently revealed that she had declined an invitation to perform during the 2024 Eurovision interval show to protest against Israel's participation in the competition during the war in Gaza.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

Following the 7 October Hamas attack and the beginning of the war in Gaza, Larsson published a truncated message comparing the international response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine with the situation of Palestinians. The post prompted strong criticism and accusations of minimising terrorism.

State of the evidence

Reported by the press

Attribution

Personally implicated

Larsson repeatedly used deliberately provocative rhetoric on social media, including 'I hate all men', prompting accusations of misandry and numerous online disputes.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

During the May 2021 Israeli-Palestinian escalation, Larsson published messages accusing Israel of maintaining a system of apartheid and killing civilians, while stating that antisemitic violence and threats also needed to be opposed.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

Larsson served as a Huawei ambassador in 2019, a partnership criticised in Sweden in light of controversies surrounding the company and the Chinese state. In 2020, she said it had been 'not the smartest decision', that she did not want to support the Chinese government's actions and that her freedom to speak had been restricted. Her music briefly disappeared from Apple Music in China following her criticism.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Larsson posted a photograph showing her entire leg inside a condom to ridicule men claiming they were 'too big' to use one. The post went viral worldwide and reinforced her image as a feminist and sex-positive activist.

State of the evidence

Reported by the press

Attribution

Directly implicated