In the past few weeks the amount of violence against Asians has increased exponentially as new reports of crime are occurring almost daily now. The general public has already shown its outrage over the crimes on social media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram, but now celebrities are weighing in their thoughts on the situation as well. 

On Mar. 29, popular Korean boy band BTS shared its thoughts on Twitter.

“We feel grief and anger, but what our voice must convey is clear. We stand against racial discrimination. We condemn violence. We will stand together,” said the group.

The post garnered over 2.3 million likes on Twitter as fans appreciated BTS for speaking up about the situation.  

Along with BTS, popular pop stars Rihanna and Pharrel Williams also showed their support for the movement. Rihanna made a public statement on Instagram showing her protesting against the shootings in Atlanta while Pharrel also made a statement on Instagram regarding the Atlanta shootings.

“I’m heartbroken for the Asian community and my heart is with the loved ones of those we lost yesterday,” said Rihanna.

“My thoughts and prayers are with the families who lost their wives, sisters, and daughters, stop Asian hate now,” said Pharrell. 

Singer Janet Jackson made a statement on Twitter as well, giving prayers to all those who were affected by the shootings.

“My heart breaks for the Asian community. Sending prayers to all affected by yesterday’s tragedy, #StopAsianHate,” said Jackson.

NBA players Jeremy Lin and Lebron James showed support for the families impacted. Lin weighed in on the hate against Asian Americans as he himself has experienced racial intolerance on the court. Lin made a statement on Facebook sharing his thoughts about the violence as well as his hopes for the world to stop putting so much negative emphasis on a person’s race.

Lebron James commented on the Atlanta shootings as he showed his support for the victims via Twitter. 

“My condolences goes out to the families of all of the victims and the entire Asian community tonight on what transpired in Atlanta at the Aromatherapy Spa,” said James. 

Lebron also called the perpetrator a coward and described the situation as “senseless and tragic.”

Kim Kardashian posted anti-Asian violence resources on her Twitter, but did not make a statement about the topic. However, this still conveys her support for the anti-violence cause. Users praised Kardashian for using her status on the platform for a good cause.

With all of these celebrities speaking up about the issue, there is clearly a problem in our society regarding the amount of Asian violence that is currently taking place. Hopefully with such influential figures speaking up for the cause, more attention will be given to the problem to help stop violence for all ethnicities.

Photo courtesy of CNBC.COM