30/02/2019
35-year-old Empire actor Jussie Smollett was attacked by two men "yelling out racial and homophobic slurs" in the early hours of Tuesday morning, according to police.
He was hit in the face, had an unknown chemical substance, thought to be bleach, poured on him and a rope was wrapped around his neck. His attackers were also heard to refer to 'MAGA' (Make America Great Again), the slogan used by Donald Trump during the 2016 US presidential campaign.
Smollett was shaken and angry that an attack like this could happen, but told CNN he fought back at the attackers.
A representative of 20th Century Fox Television and Fox Entertainment issued a statement, saying, "We are deeply saddened and outraged to learn that a member of our 'Empire' family, Jussie Smollett, was viciously attacked last night". They continued to say, "We send our love to Jussie, who is resilient and strong, and we will work with law enforcement to bring these perpetrators to justice. The entire studio, network and production stands united in the face of any despicable act of violence and hate -- and especially against one of our own."
Smollett came out on US TV show Ellen in 2015, after he faced scrutiny in his personal life when his character on the show came out as being gay. At the time he told Ellen DeGeneres, the show's host, "there is, without a doubt, no closet that I've ever been in and I just wanted to make that clear".
After news of the attack on Smollett, DeGeneres tweeted her support for him and his family.
The fact that such hate crimes have increased in America, as well as in the UK and some other European countries, is extremely disturbing. Trumpism in America and Brexit in the UK have emboldened the xenophobes, racists, homophobes and other bigots, giving them the 'courage' to spout their message of hatred and attack innocent people.
These thugs must be stopped. We must stand up to the bullies and show support for the persecuted. We must try and educate our young, so they don't learn to hate from the bad influencers in their lives.
We must also catch the criminals who undertake such attacks and ensure they are properly punished. We need to send a message to those who believe they have the right to spread their hateful views; that they will not be tolerated and that the civilised majority look at them with contempt and revulsion.
Comments