John Boyega defends anti-racism comments after posting George Floyd tribute
John Boyega is standing by his comments on racism after a handful of Twitter users wrongly assumed he would like to debate the matter.
The Star Wars actor had posted about the death of George Floyd, who died in police custody in Minnesota after an altercation with police officers.
“This just burns,” he wrote. “Seems to be a never ending cycle. The murderers need to be charged severely.
“Even in the face of death this man was given zero empathy. #RIPGeorgeFloyd #BlackLivesMatter #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd.”
This just burns. Seems to be a never ending cycle. The murderers need to be charged severely. Even in the face of death this man was given zero empathy. #RIPGeorgeFloyd #BlackLivesMatter #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd pic.twitter.com/gyuaoC6vUh
— John Boyega (@JohnBoyega)
Boyega followed his tribute with a second post, which read: “I f**king hate racists.”
While the post was liked over 1 million times and retweeted by over 20,000 Twitter users, a handful of replies took issue with Boyega’s statement - and he wasted no time in explaining himself to them.
“This is my own personal account. I am not here for the kids,” he wrote, before responding to another tweet which mocked his comment with his own personal experiences.
:”I also remember walking through thamesmead, getting jumped and called a African monkey from 13,” he said. “You idiots that like to think my millions dictates my mind are the worst.” [sic]
A salary I worked hard for from nothing. I also remember walking through thamesmead, getting jumped and called a African monkey from 13. You idiots that like to think my millions dictates my mind are the worst.
— John Boyega (@JohnBoyega)
Boyega then went live on Instagram to further explain himself.
“I don’t live in the States, but I’m Black,” he said. “F*** that. So I’ll say it again: f*** you racist white people. I said what I said. And if you don’t f***ing like it, go suck a d***.”
“It’s not about career, it’s not about money... All those things were just a part of my dream, just a part of working. That’s got nothing to do with how you treat people.”
“You lot can’t rattle me. I’m not the guy to be rattled. I wasn’t raised by no weak people.”
Since landing his breakthrough role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Boyega has frequently spoken out on issues that are important to him.
He previously slammed fans for harassing his co-star Kelly Marie Tran online after abuse led to the actress closing all of her social media accounts.
