K-Pop icons BTS have shared a new statement condemning anti-Asian discrimination. This statement comes on the back of the rise of hate crimes and namely the Atlanta shooting that happened on March 16.
With the spread of Coronavirus, which was first recognized in the city of Wuhan in China, there was also a spread of anti-Asian racism in the West. Especially in the United States and Europe, where there have been a rising number of reports of hate crimes.
Some hashtags like #StopAsianHate and #StopAAPIHate have brought these disturbances to light, and the Korean stars have offered some words in support.
BTS expressed their “grief and anger” in a statement, and they are explicit in their words. “We stand against racial discrimination. We condemn violence. You, I and we all have the right to be respected. We will stand together”.
They also look back to what they had experienced in the past and commented “We recall moments when we faced discrimination as Asians. We have endured expletives without reason and were mocked for the way we look. We were even asked why Asians spoke in English.”
However, the violence again Asian Americans is often not charged as hate crimes. Once more, the director of the FBI said that the Atlanta shooting did not appear to have been racially motivated.
Today the statement has been retweeted almost 900,000 times on Twitter. The reach of BTS is really important – they have 34 million followers on Twitter and almost 40 million on Instagram on their official band accounts – to spread this message.
#Peace.Love.BTS
