The Star Wars franchise has shown its support for Krystina Arielle—the host of its forthcoming web series The High Republic Show—after she faced racist online attacks.
“Our Star Wars community is one of hope and inclusivity. We do not stand for bullying and racism. We support @KrystinaArielle,” Star Wars wrote on Twitter.
“The last 24 hours have been ... not the greatest,” she stated on Twitter on Saturday, alongside several screenshots of some of the offensive messages she’s received.
Many showed their support for Arielle too, with the hashtag #IStandWithKrystina trending on Twitter.
The accusations against Arielle began after tweets from last summer resurfaced, in which she discussed how white people uphold racism and her support of protesting and Black Lives Matter. In a tweet from June, she writes, “White People: You do not get to absolve people of racism. You do not get to point out their 'Growth' when they say black lives matter after treating us as if we don’t.”
Arielle was recently named the host of The High Republic Show, which focuses on Star Wars: The High Republic, a new subseries from the franchise.
Other Black people who have been involved in Star Wars have also been recipients of racial abuse. John Boyega’s part in the 2016 film The Force Awakens is a notable example, with his role leading to an adverse reaction from some fans. “Nobody else had the uproar and death threats sent to their Instagram DMs and social media, saying, 'Black this and black that and you shouldn't be a Stormtrooper,’” he told British GQ last September. “Nobody else had that experience. But yet people are surprised that I'm this way. That's my frustration.”
