‘Star Wars’ stands by web series host following racist harassment
Within 24 hours of the announcement, host Krystina Arielle received racist remarks across social media platforms
Star Wars is sticking with one of its own after fans verbally assaulted her online. Krystina Arielle, the host of The High Republic Show web series, was the target of racial attacks online.
On Friday, The Star Wars franchise wasted no time addressing the situation and making its stance on racism known.
Read More: John Boyega responds after Michael Rapaport says he should be ‘grateful’ for ‘Star Wars’
In June 2020, at the height of worldwide protests against police brutality and racial injustice, Arielle took to Twitter to address the role white people play in racist America.
“And I was in such a good mood. White People: You do not get to absolve people of racism. You do not get to point out their “Growth” when they say Black lives matter after treating us as if we don’t. You don’t get to accept apologies on our behalf,” she wrote. “That shouldn’t need to be said..”
In another tweet, she continued with, “And stop patting them on the back for doing the bare f**king minimum task of being decent and humane to Black people.”
According to Yahoo News, Arielle recently became the host of The High Republic Show, which discusses Star Wars: The High Republic, a new subseries from the franchise.
Arielle exposed some of the racist comments she received, including one post that depicted a monkey, a well-known slur against Black Americans.
“We the last 24 hours have been … not the greatest,” she tweeted along with screenshots of some of the racial slurs hurled at her.
But then the Star Wars official Twitter account stepped in and called the acts of racism unacceptable.
“Our Star Wars community is one of hope and inclusivity. We do not stand for bullying and racism. We support @KrystinaArielle,” the tweet reads.
In September, John Boyega, who starred in Star Wars: The Force Awakens also received racist comments from fans online, as reported by theGrio.
As the cover star for the October edition of British GQ, the actor opened up about his experience working with Disney and how he felt the corporation used his race.
“What I would say to Disney is do not bring out a black character, market them to be much more important in the franchise than they are, and then have them pushed to the side,” he said to the magazine.
His character, Finn– the first Black stormtrooper to appear in the film series– was highlighted in ad campaigns promoting the movie. However, the story did not center him at all. This did not hinder racist fans of the trilogy, and they flocked to Boyega’s social media with threats and messages of hate.
“Nobody else in the cast had people saying they were going to boycott the movie because [they were in it],” Boyega said to GQ.
“Nobody else had the uproar and death threats sent to their Instagram DMs and social media, saying, ‘Black this and black that and you shouldn’t be a stormtrooper.’ Nobody else had that experience. But yet people are surprised that I’m this way. That’s my frustration,” he concluded.
On Twitter, he shared his intent with sharing his feelings, explaining how his remarks are “about clarity to an anger that can be seen as selfish, disruptive, and self-indulgent.”
He continued, “It’s not good. I’ll say it straight up.”
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