The death of an African-American man named George Floyd at the hands of a white police officer in Minnesota, USA has sparked protests in America. People are outraged and demanded justice for George Floyd, speaking up about the blatant disregard for black lives. Kareena Kapoor Khan, Priyanka Chopra, were among the many celebrities who condemned George Floyd’s death. Yesterday, Kangana Ranaut called out the hypocrisy of Bollywood celebrities for raising voice against the death of George Floyd in America, while overlooking the injustice happening in India. Now Abhay Deol also took a jibe at them, asking them to call out the systemic problems in their own country.
Abhay Deol took to his Instagram and shared a picture with the hashtags #MigrantLivesMatter, #MinorityLivesMatter, #PoorLivesMatter. Further, in his caption, he took a dig at the ‘woke’ Bollywood celebrities fighting for black lives, but failing to address the grave social issues in India. He wrote, “Maybe it’s time for these now? Now that “woke” indian celebrities and the middle class stand in solidarity with fighting systemic racism in America, perhaps they’d see how it manifests in their own backyard?”
Abhay Deol further added, “America has exported violence to the world, they have made it a more dangerous place, it was but inevitable that it would come back karmically. I’m not saying they deserve it, I’m saying look at the picture in it’s totality. I’m saying support them by calling out the systemic problems in your own country, because they turn out to be one and the same thing. I’m saying follow their lead but not their actions.”
Abhay Deol further called for creating actions and movement relevant to one’s own country. “Create your own actions, your own movement, relevant to your own country. That is what the black lives matter movement is all about! In the larger picture, there is no “us” and “them”. There is not a country that’s real. But a planet in peril,” he wrote.
Meanwhile, Kangana Ranaut, in an interview with Pinkvilla said, “It is a shame they [Bollywood celebrities] continue to live in a bubble and never fail to jump on the bandwagon, which can give them two minutes of fame, but ‘white people’ must drive the bandwagon. Perhaps, it is because of their pre-independence colonial slavery genes.” ALSO READ: Kareena Kapoor Khan Says 'Dalit, Muslim, Migrant Lives Matter' Hours After Kangana Ranaut Calls Out Bollywood For 'Colonial Slavery Genes'
Image Source: Instagram/abhaydeol/team_kangana_ranaut