Let’s get one thing straight: John Boyega is not here for racists. If that wasn’t clear enough, the Star Wars actor—who has become increasingly more vocal about political and social issues since the trilogy ended—doubled down about his specific disdain for “WHITE on BLACK racism…the kind that has ruined the world” on Twitter and Instagram on Wednesday.
Boyega sent out a tweet in response to the senseless death of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police on May 26, which was captured on video. He wrote “I really fucking hate racists,” and apparently, people were very upset, but that didn’t shake the versatile actor. It seems like those bothered by his comments were mostly white people who are fans of his Star Wars character but can’t dissociate him from the role—and also those who’ve never had to face racism head-on, therefore, they refuse to get that it is an issue.
Many equated his proclamation as being discriminatory towards white people (well…). Others were very upset that this Disney actor with young fans would use such awful language.
“John, I agree that racists are terrible,” one person wrote. “However, the language in this tweet is unsettling. My 8-year-old son looks up to you. I don’t know if I can allow you to be his role model if this continues…” Boyega said that he didn’t intend to become a role model for the commenter’s son and that he will not change what he said for anyone.
“This is my own personal account. I am not here for the kids,” the unbothered king further explained. He’s not wrong either; the minimum age for someone to create a Twitter account is 13 years of age, and it’s important for parents to monitor the content their children consume online.
Others defended the actor, noting that he was more upset about another black man losing his life unnecessarily. Either way, Boyega couldn’t give less of a damn about what people were saying. (“I am Yoruba. All your chit chatter on this here app won’t cut into this soul. Thunder fire you,” he wrote.) He also noted that his mother called him a “good boy” for standing up for what’s right on the app.
To really let the haters know he didn’t care, Boyega then took to Instagram Live to further defend his statements.
“A black man was just murdered in cold blood in the street stateside again, while saying he can’t breathe. That’s a continuous cycle going on,” he said. “Although I don’t live in the States, I’m black. So I’ll say it again: fuck you racist white people. I said what I said. And if you don’t fucking like it, go suck a dick.”
“You lot can’t rattle me. I’m not the guy to be rattled,” he continues. “I wasn’t raised by no weak people.”
Well, I’m in love now. It’s dope to see that no matter the success that a black man has accumulated, he is still a black man, and will do everything he can to stick up for those who can’t do so for themselves.