As the #StopAAPIHate movement takes center stage in America, BTS have released a personal statement in support of the cause. 

As the #StopAAPIHate movement takes center stage in America, BTS have released a personal statement in support of the cause. 

Since the onset of the pandemic in 2020, hate crime against Asian American communities has been on a worrying steep incline. Since the start of this year, numerous racially charged incidents have come to light that have prompted support for the #StopAAPIHate movement. From Topps Company’s insensitive portrayal of BTS on a series of trading cards, to a recent Atlanta shooting that left eight people dead, mounting threats to the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities have prompted numerous celebrities to speak up. 

Now, K-pop group BTS have come forward and released a personal statement of their own. Standing in support of the AAPI community in the statement, BTS also allude to racist remarks they have been on the receiving end of in the course of their career. 

“We recall moments when we faced discrimination as Asians. We have endured expletives without reason and were mocked for the way we look. We were even asked why Asians spoke in English. We cannot put into words the pain of becoming the subject of hatred and violence for such a reason.” the group said.  

Earlier this year, a German radio host came under fire for comparing BTS to COVID-19, referring to them as a virus that “hopefully there will be a vaccine for soon as well”, as reported by Associated Press. The station eventually apologized, but not before the host tried to absolve himself of his xenophobic comments by claiming that he couldn’t be racist because he had “a car from South Korea.” 

While the group did not refer to this particular incident in their statement, incidents like this are certainly not few and far between. Despite this, BTS focused on the immediate danger faced by the community. 

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“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 band said. 

“What is happening right now cannot be dissociated from our identity as Asians. It required considerable time for us to discuss this carefully and we contemplated deeply on how we should voice our message.” 

You can read more about this topic over at the Asia Pop Observer.

Read BTS’ statement in full:

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