John Boyega has been praised for his impassioned speech at the Black Lives Matter protest in London, which has since been shared across the world. The Star Wars actor asked the crowds to stay peaceful as he joined the rally yesterday, giving a rousing speech about racism in the UK and America over a megaphone.
‘Today is about innocent people who were halfway through their process,’ he said. ‘We don't know what George Floyd could have achieved.’ Since the emotional address - where John fought back tears - he has been called a ‘hero’ in statements by Star Wars and Disney. Mark Hamill tweeted, ‘Never been more proud of you, John.’
In the speech, John acknowledged a concern that he may not work again - - being honest and outspoken about injustice does not always win fans in Hollywood's corridors of power - but many people in film and TV came forward to say that they would always back him. Booksmart director Olivia Wilde, Black Mirror writer Charlie Brooker and Jordan Peele, the Oscar-winning director of Get Out - who tweeted 'We got you, John' - were among the many supportive voices.
‘I’m speaking to you from my heart,’ John told the crowd, ‘Look, I don’t know if I’m going to have a career after this, but fuck that,’ he added. ‘This is so vital,’ he said, listing names of black men and women killed by police over the past two decades. ‘I need you guys to understand how painful this shit is. I need you to understand how painful it is to be reminded every day that your race means nothing and that isn’t the case anymore, that was never the case anymore.’
‘Today is about innocent people who were halfway through their process. We don’t know what George Floyd could have achieved, we don’t know what Sandra Bland could have achieved, but today we’re going to make sure that won’t be an alien thought to our young ones,’ he continued.
Boyega set up his own production company in 2016, Upperroom Entertainment Limited, to make films which celebrate African culture.
Yesterday, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison upgraded the charges against former police officer Derek Chauvin to second-degree murder in Floyd’s death. The three other officers have also been charged with ‘aiding and abetting'.
Other stars who attended the protest in London included Dua Lipa, Anwar Hadid, Liam Payne and his girlfriend Maya Henry and actress Zoë Kravitz.