Photo: Getty
From Rihanna to Gwyneth Paltrow, several celebrities have taken to social media condemning the recent surge in anti-Asian violence after a 21-year-old man entered three massage parlors on March 17 in Atlanta killing eight women – six of whom were Asian.
The shooter Robert Aaron Long, who was arrested earlier this week, has admitted to the killings. Now, celebrities are calling for people to not “be silent” about the increase in hate crimes against the Asian community. “Please pay attention to what is happening,” wrote actor Gemma Chan on Instagram. “Racism and misogyny are not mutually exclusive. In fact, sexualised racial harassment and violence is something that many of us face regularly.”
Cherokee County Sheriff Frank Reynolds claimed that Long’s actions “did not appear to be” motivated by racism. However, a recent Stop AAPI Hate report found that 3,795 racially motivated attacks had been committed against Asian Americans since the Covid-19 pandemic began a year ago – with many attacks going unreported.
Below, celebrities call for #StopAsianHate
Gemma Chan
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Rihanna
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Olivia Munn
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Gwyneth Paltrow
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Katie Holmes
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Kate Hudson
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Bernice A King
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Margaret Cho
I’m angry. This is terrorism. This is a hate crime. Stop killing us. #StopAsianHate pic.twitter.com/rZghXp4nOQ
— Margaret Cho (@margaretcho) March 17, 2021
Barack Obama
Even as we’ve battled the pandemic, we’ve continued to neglect the longer-lasting epidemic of gun violence in America. Although the shooter’s motive is not yet clear, the identity of the victims underscores an alarming rise in anti-Asian violence that must end.
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) March 17, 2021
Mindy Kaling
The targeting of our Asian brothers and sisters is sickening, but not surprising given the normalizing of anti-Asian hate speech in the past year. We have to #StopAsianHate, enough is enough!
— Mindy Kaling (@mindykaling) March 17, 2021
Ava DuVernay
The hashtag #StopAsianHate is rightly trending. How do we do that beyond just tweeting? Some ideas. Examine stereotypes you hold about Asian people. Work to dismantle that within yourself. Raise your voice anywhere that anti-Asian sentiment is present. Normalize calling it out. https://t.co/KENMNCsEvy
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) March 17, 2021
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Originally published on Vogue.co.uk
