Emma Watson managed to split Twitter down the middle with her posts for #BlackoutTuesday, with some criticising her for not posting more useful content while others defended her and her past activism.
The Harry Potter actress had posted three white squares and three black squares on her Instagram feed in honour of #BlackoutTuesday, when users were encouraged to share a black square to show their solidarity with Black Lives Matter in the wake of George Floyd’s death.
However, some of her followers were annoyed that she didn’t use her platform to educate her 57.2million followers on the issue or to post links to encourage donations.
They tweeted: ‘emma watson has 57.1M followers on instagram, her first post about blm has over 1M likes and instead of sharing links to petitions and donations, she thought the best idea was sharing [three black squares] tf is that, open your purse, SPREAD INFORMATION.’
Others added: ‘emma watson not saying anything for the whole week and then posting a black blank pic in instagram that won’t help in anything is just the peak of white feminism’ and ‘emma watson got nearly 300k likes in 34 minutes and it was a performative activism post that doesn’t help blm. F**k her for not using that platform to share donation/petition links when she has a platform THAT BIG.’
Despite the criticism that her posts were not using her platform to the best of her ability to shine a light on such an important movement, others stuck up for her for her activism over the years.
They posted: ‘I will not tolerate Emma Watson slander on my timeline. She has always been for human rights with a focus on feminism. She’s staying in her lane and simply saying: LISTEN TO BLACK PEOPLE #amplifyBlackvoices’.
Others added: ‘Emma Watson has been speaking up about racism since 2015 but y’all want to cancel her because she posted 6 posts in order to amplify a movement. Don’t talk about aesthetic when your fav never address issues on their Instagram. Emma’s whole feed is giving voice to minorities.’
Another posted: ‘Imagine thinking Emma Watson is a white feminist. Emma has been uplifting black voices for years when it wasn’t a trend. Y’all are trash and I am NOT here for you dragging an ally #blackoutuesday#BlackLivesMatter’.
Others encouraged people to focus on the important issues at hand, namely the arrest of the officer who knelt on George Floyd’s neck, adding: ‘Ok before we waste our energy attacking Emma Watson and Evan Peters, let me remind you who the real enemy is.’
Emma followed up her original posts by sharing a piece of artwork just after midnight, telling her followers: ‘I was holding off posting until #blackouttuesday ended in the UK.
‘The Artwork of my brilliant dear friend @fahamupecou “White Lies, Subtleties, Micro-Aggressions, and Other Choking Hazards”.
She also shared the poem Broken Open by Dr Fahamu Pecou, before ending her post: ‘Say their names #AhmaudArbery#BreonnaTaylor #GeorgeFloyd’.
She also shared a cover of Vogue as well as powerful quote, telling her followers: ‘I stand with you.’
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