Amidst a rise in anti-Asian violence in America, BTS have a shared a statement in support of #StopAsianHate and #StopAAPIHate.
The remarks, posted on social media, come two weeks after the Atlanta spa shootings that left eight individuals (six of whom were Asian women) dead. BTS expressed their “deepest condolences to those who have lost their loved ones,” adding that they “feel grief and anger” over the situation.
The K-pop stars also recalled facing incidents of discrimination themselves, though they don’t mention the insensitive and violent depiction of the band the Topps trading card company pulled from their “Shammy Awards” Garbage Pail Kids line. Instead, they refer to incidents where they “have endured expletives without reason” or “were mocked” over their appearance. “We were even asked why Asians spoke in English,” they wrote.
[cos-videojs id=”17d762f76-e199-450b-ba35-30327afb42f2″ auto_play=true show_playlist=false sticky=true]
BTS continued,
“We cannot put into words the pain of becoming the subject of hatred and violence for such a reason. Our own experiences are inconsequential compared to the events that have occurred over the past few weeks. But these experiences were enough to make us feel powerless and chip away our self-esteem.”
The statement went on to “condemn violence” and “stand against racial discrimination.” “You, I and we all have the right to be respected,” the band concluded. “We will stand together.”
Read BTS’ full #StopAsianHate message below.
#StopAsianHate#StopAAPIHate pic.twitter.com/mOmttkOpOt
— 방탄소년단 (@BTS_twt) March 30, 2021
