"An all too familiar horror" : more than 800 artists sign a letter of support for actress Francesca Amewudah-Rivers, victim of online racism
Cairo: Hani Kamal El-Din
“Juliet must be white !” Racist and hateful remarks surged after the choice of black actress Francesca Amewudah-Rivers to play the role of Juliet, in a new theatrical adaptation of Shakespeare’s play alongside Tom Holland. It will be performed from May at the London theater The Duke of York. Director Jamie Lloyd’s company defended the actress in a post on X, published on April 5: “This must stop. Any abuse will not be tolerated and will be automatically reported,” she warned.
An indignation to which more than 830 actresses, mainly black, echoed in an open letter published on April 10, reporting a “an all too familiar horror”. “Too often, Black artists – especially Black actresses – find themselves facing the storm of online harassment after committing the crime of finding employment on their own,” they denounce as a sign of solidarity.
“The racist and misogynistic abuse directed at such a gentle soul is too much to bear. For a casting announcement for a play to trigger such twisted and ugly abusive comments is truly embarrassing for those who are so empty and sterile in their own lives that they must get involved in hateful abuse”they continue.
