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Published 17:14 IST, June 4th 2020

Emma Watson speaks about 'white supremacy' after backlash over Blackout Tuesday posts

Hollywood actor Emma Watson faced criticism on social media for her Blackout Tuesday posts. She recently addressed the backlash through her posts on Instagram.

Reported by: Rohan Patil
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The tragic death of an African American man named George Floyd brought back the world's attention on the issue of racism. A lot of celebrities have come forth and supported the Black Lives Matter protests. Emma Watson also showed her support by joining the Blackout Tuesday movement on social media. After her posts supporting the Blackout Tuesday movement, Emma Watson faced a backlash from netizens. The actor recently opened up about the same with three more posts on social media.

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Emma Watson responds to backlash

Emma Watson joined the Blackout Tuesday movement on social media by posting three black squares from her account. However, she gave it her own twist as the black squares were framed by white borders. Each of the posts was captioned with hashtags, “#blackouttuesday, #theshowmustbepaused, #amplifymelanatedvoices and #amplifyblackvoices”. However, netizens did not like her twist and voiced their backlash in the comments and all over social media. She was slammed for prioritizing her Instagram aesthetic over speaking about protests and she was also accused of performative activism. After this, the actor has now posted a response to this criticism.

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In the three posts shared by the actor, she has talked about the white privileges and systematic racism in society. In one of the posts, she explained, “I was holding off posting until #blackouttuesday ended in the U.K.,”. The post featured an artwork by Dr Fahamu Pecou called “White Lies, Subtleties, Micro-Aggressions, and Other Choking Hazards,” In another post shared by the actor, she has talked about the white supremacy, hierarchy and dominance. Emma Watson also said that she is still learning about the many ways she unconsciously supports and upholds the system that is structurally racist.

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Hollywood actors and Blackout Tuesday movement

Several Hollywood actors such as John Boyega, Henry Cavill, Emilia Clarke, Hugh Jackson, Samuel L. Jackon, Cole Sprouse, Keanu Reeves, Halsey, etc. participated in the Blackout Tuesday movement. The unfortunate death of George Floyd has sparked off a worldwide movement for Black Lives Matter. George Floyd’s brutal death happened when a police officer was seen kneeling and putting all his body weight on George Floyd’s neck. Reports say that the police officer who kneeled on George Floyd's neck until he passed away was fired and arrested.

17:14 IST, June 4th 2020