YouTube star Ms. Rachel has been accused of spreading Hamas propaganda to children, according to an antisemitism watchdog that has penned a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Child educator Rachel Griffin-Accurso, known online as Ms. Rachel, has become a massive star and accumulated millions of followers thanks to her catchy songs.
However, Jewish civil rights group StopAntisemitism has accused the viral sensation of using her platform to indoctrinate children with pro-Hamas propaganda following the October 7 terror attack in Israel.
The group sent a letter to the attorney general imploring her to investigate Ms. Rachel as the Trump Administration cracks down on antisemitism.
StopAntisemitism accused Ms. Rachel of ‘incorporating Hamas-like propagated images and stories into her content.’
‘Given the vast sums of foreign funds that have been directed toward propagandizing our young people on college campuses, we suspect there is a similar dynamic in the online influencer space,’ StopAntisemitism director Liora Rez said in a letter sent Monday to Bondi obtained by the New York Post.
‘We urge you and your office to investigate whether or not Ms. Rachel is being remunerated to disseminate Hamas-aligned propaganda to her millions of followers, as this may violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).’
The group claimed Ms. Rachel had made several posts that included either debunked false information about the conditions of children in Gaza.
‘Her posts have largely ignored the suffering of Israeli victims, hostages, and Jewish children, while she consistently amplifies misinformation from Hamas and other anti-Israel sources,’ Rez said.
The posts cited by StopAntisemitism include those from her Instagram account, where she has 2.5 million followers.
In one post, Ms. Rachel filmed herself praying for the children in Gaza, which the group claims perpetuates Hamas’ claims that Israel is bombing Gaza indiscriminately.
Another post included an image of a child with protruding limbs depicting starvation, but StopAntisemitism claimed those images were debunked and the child is suffering from cystic fibrosis, not starvation.
StopAntisemitism also claimed Ms. Rachel is pushing Hamas propaganda by sharing the death toll provided by the Hamas-run Ministry of Health, which does not differentiate between terrorists and civilians.
‘It’s not a secret influencers such as Ms. Rachel often have paid collaborations on social media. That being said, we could not help but notice post 10/7, Ms. Rachel posting a massive barrage of anti-Israel propaganda. This was at the same time as other social media influencers were being paid to post,’ Rez told The Post.
‘We are merely asking the Attorney General to investigate. While Ms. Rachel is entitled to her opinions and to exercise her free speech rights, there are laws that require those being paid by foreign countries to disclose these things. Foreign agents must register.’
Ms. Rachel was previously slammed for fundraising for children suffering in global conflicts without mentioning Israeli youngsters.
She said had been bullied after announcing a fundraiser for the UK-based charity Save the Children, adding that it ‘hurt so bad’ people were saying she didn’t care about all kids.
She said in a social media post about the fundraiser: ‘I’ll make videos for little ones, and all the money raised on my end will go to Save the Children’s emergency fund, which will go to children living in conflict in Gaza, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ukraine.’
‘Children should never experience the horrors of war,’ she added.
‘What about Israeli children Ms. Rachel?,’ a social media user asked under the content creator’s Instagram post.
Ms. Rachel responded to the criticism by posting a video on Friday, in which she told her followers that she had been bullied and accused of not caring about ‘all kids’.
She said under tears that she cares ‘deeply for all children’, adding: ‘That is who I am. I love my neighbor.
‘I love every child. Palestinian children, Israeli children, children in the US, – Muslim, Jewish, Christian children -, all children, in every country. Not one is excluded.’