‘I said what I said’: John Boyega defends explicit anti-racism social media posts

Star Wars actor John Boyega has been praised for a series of social media posts speaking out against racism.

The first post, a tweet that reads, “I really f***ing hate racists”, was written in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers.

The original tweet attracted more than one million likes on the social media website. When some people criticised Boyega’s use of a swear word, the actor remained defiant.

“This is my own personal account. I am not here for the kids,” he wrote back.

In a passionate Instagram Live video, Boyega continued to address the subject.

“That’s a continuous cycle, going on”, he said of the George Floyd killing, which has sparked protests in Minneapolis.

“I don’t live in the States, but I’m Black,” he continued. “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.”

He then said that he would block anyone on social media who posted racist responses to his posts.

Boyega wrote that his mother had called him a “Good Boy” for his words.

When Boyega was cast in the Star Wars franchise, as a reformed Stormtrooper called Finn, he became the target of racist abuse online.

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