‘Star Wars’ John Boyega Turns Off Comments on an Instagram Post for First Time Ever
Star Wars‘ John Boyega is often the center of harassment from avid Star Wars fans. However, he never turned off comments on one of his social media posts until now.
John Boyega is 1 of the only actors from the ‘Star Wars’ sequel trilogy still on social media
Many of the Star Wars actors left social media due to harassment from fans. Kelly Marie Tran, who portrays Rose Tico, closed her Instagram account after receiving racist online attacks.
Daisy Ridley was also the subject of intense harassment on social media. She was so overwhelmed by the fans telling her she was an imposter that she almost left the franchise entirely. Instead, she closed all of her accounts and thankfully continued the Star Wars sequel trilogy.
When Boyega was the subject of criticism on social media, he clapped back against fans with a video. In the clip, he kicks, punches, and hits the negative comments from fans with a lightsaber. Fans continued to complain after he shared the video; however, Boyega never turned off the comments.
He remains on social media and is not afraid to speak his mind.
Why did John Boyega turn off Instagram comments for the first time?
On May 26, 2020, a video surfaced showing a police officer in Minneapolis kneeling on the neck of a handcuffed suspect, George Floyd. In the video, the white officer presses his knee against the black man’s neck even after Floyd says he cannot breathe. The man then died in custody, The Washington Post reports.
“George Floyd,” Boyega wrote in a caption on Instagram under a photo of Floyd. “So heartbreaking to hear about the continuous cycle of violence aimed at black people by racist cops. Murder charges only. #justiceforgeorgefloyd First post where I’ve had to turn off comments. Ain’t none of you getting the last word today. That’s that.”
Boyega was not the only one demanding justice for Floyd on social media after the video surfaced. Protesters in the streets of Minneapolis that evening were joined by politicians, activists, celebrities, and athletes who spoke out on social media, asking for charges to be filed against the police officers involved. Four cops were fired after the video went viral.
Boyega let the comments roll in on Twitter
Although Boyega turned off commenting on his Instagram post, he engaged with his fans on Twitter. The Star Wars actor retweeted several posts about Floyd and responded to fans who disagreed with him.
Boyega’s statement that he hates racism caused an even larger debate in the comments.
“I said what I said,” Boyega wrote to one fan who complained that hate is a strong word. “Speak for yourself at all times.”
The star also tweeted that the “chitter-chatter” on social media “won’t cut into this soul.” He feels so strongly about what happened to Floyd that the negative comments won’t hurt him.
