"
We are in mourning and angry
."
This is how K-pop group BTS said last Thursday in a statement posted on Twitter.
A reaction to the upsurge in violent acts against the Asian community in recent weeks.
In particular, the Atlanta massacre of March 16 in the United States which claimed the lives of eight individuals, including six women of Asian origin.
The members of BTS offered their "
deep condolences
".
The boy band from Seoul, composed of seven young men, is a reference of the Korean musical style which is all the rage among young people, K-pop.
Each of their release is an event and several of their clips exceed one billion views on YouTube, such as
Boys with Luv
or
DNA
.
A popularity that has not prevented artists from being victims of racist acts:
“We remember times when we faced discrimination as Asians.
We have been insulted for no reason and laughed at because of our appearance.
We were even asked why Asians speak English
”.
At the end of February,
BTS
fans
had reacted widely on social networks, the group having been compared by a German radio host to "
a shit virus
".
"
We will fight together
"
“
What is happening now cannot be separated from our identity as Asians,
” the group said in the tweet.
“
Our own experience is of no consequence compared to what has happened in recent weeks.
But these experiences were enough to make us feel powerless and make us lose confidence in ourselves,
”lamented the artists.
The seven members concluded their statement by saying, “
We oppose racial discrimination.
We condemn violence.
You and we have the right to be respected.
We will fight together.
".
Accompanied by
#StopAsianHate
, the popular hashtag denouncing Asian racism, the post has been liked over two million times and shared over 600,000 times in three hours.
The group had already made headlines last June, by donating a million dollars to the
Black Lives Matter
movement
after the death of George Floyd in the United States.
SEE ALSO -
“People don't want to be silent anymore”: demonstrations in New York and Washington to denounce racism against the Asian community