BTS issued a strong statement on Tuesday, condemning the rise of anti-Asian violence in the United States and opened up about their own experiences of racism.
On March 30, BTS posted a letter in both Korean and English on their official Twitter account, expressing solidarity with the AAPI: Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders group.
Their message arrived in the wake of the March 16 Atlanta spa attacks, in which an assailant killed eight victims, six of whom were Asian women. Under the hashtag #StopAsianHate, people from all over the world, including many celebrities, have come together to support the AAPI community.
The members wrote in their statement. “We condemn violence. You, I and we all have the right to be respected. We will stand together.” They also expressed their condolences to those who have lost loved ones to the violence.
BTS members also opened up about the racism they have faced as Asians and how they were mocked for the way we look. “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 are enough to make us feel powerless and chip away our self-esteem.”
BTS’ powerful statement came weeks after a German RJ made a racist remark on the band. Last month, after the band covered Coldplay’s hit track Fix You, at a special MTV Unplugged episode, German host Matthias Matuschik called their cover ‘blasphemy’. He even went all the way to compare the world-famous band to Covid-19 and called them ‘some crappy virus that hopefully there will be a vaccine for soon as well.’
Anti-Asian hate crimes have alarmingly increased by 150% in the United States and 300% in the United Kingdom in the first quarter of 2020 alone.
BTS is known for using their voice against social injustice. They have spoken out against violence towards children with their “LOVE YOURSELF” UNICEF campaign, stood in solidarity with Black Lives Matter, and donated $1 million to the cause.
“What our voice must convey is clear,” BTS said in their Twitter statement. They ended the letter with encouragement saying, “we stand against racial discrimination”.
