Activist and rumored grifter Shaun King appeared on a human rights panel organized by the QatarDebate Center and the Al Jazeera Media Institute to discuss the war in Palestine, and many social media users took issue with the fact.
The panel was brought together at the Qatar National Convention Centre in Doha on Dec. 11 for the series “Oasis of Dialogue,” with the theme “Human Rights Advocacy in Time of War.” The panelists were brought together to discuss the war in the Gaza Strip and social media censorship, but X users were surprised King was on the panel after he is alleged to have lied about negotiating the release of two hostages by Hamas in October.
King claimed he was good friends with the family of the two hostages and said he worked “frantically behind the scenes” to negotiate their release, but the family said they had no idea who King was until they were alerted about his posts taking credit for their release. The Morehouse College graduate has also been called out previously for his many fundraising endeavors and accused of grifting. King asked his social media followers for donations to help him move back in 2021 and requested funds for an alleged nerve condition last May.
King, journalist Max Blumenthal, marketing director Zeena Aqel, influencer Ahmad Hussam and comedian Tadhg Hickey were the latest guests on the panel, and X users called out King and the panel’s organizers.
One X user posted a picture of the panel and called King “a serial fraudster who lied about being in contact with the families of Israeli hostages.” Another user wrote, “Why is Shaun King being invited to speak on panels about Palestine? It’s damn near 2024. How is anyone still falling for this man’s scammer bulls—t? It’s infuriating.”
Some users are calling for him to be canceled.
Another X user wrote, “I need everyone following me and seeing my tweets and those of people tweeting about Palestine to tell your own followers and mutuals to spread the word about that vile cretin and block Shaun King. Do not engage with him, and do not retweet him. Just warn people and block him.”
According to the Qatar Tribune, King said during the discussion that he felt obligated to speak up for Palestinians.
“Sometimes people say that people are voiceless, but nobody is voiceless,” he said. “Some people are just unheard, and Palestinians have been able to show the entire world not just their humanity and dignity but even the complexity of their faith and daily life. We all now have a daily glimpse of what it means to live in Gaza. I felt it was my obligation as a non-Palestinian, non-Muslim, a non-Arab American, to advocate for the Palestinians.”
