Abhay Deol pens a long note explaining why there's a problem with 'All Lives Matter'.
Bollywood actor Abhay Deol is known to be outspoken. He doesn't hesitate to speak up on what he feels is right. In his latest post on Instagram, the actor explained, why there's a problem with #AllLivesMatter". The actor emphasised that Black Lives Matter movement is all for equality, not preference. "All life is supposed to have equal value, but we have seen enough evidence time and time again, that that is not always the case with black lives. 400yrs of slavery has left their communities with little opportunity," Abhay wrote in his long post. The actor even wrote that people in India should raise their voice against the deep-rooted caste system prevailing in the country for centuries.
"The @blklivesmatter movement is all for equality, not preference! The repercussions of slavery have to be undone and that may take decades. It's the same with the caste system in our country, which has existed for over a 1000 years. It is much harder for the poor and disenfranchised to achieve the goals they want because of the poverty and prejudice they live and grow up in," he added.
The actor then went on to mention the reason behind why he used the hashtag, #poorlivesmatter, #migrantlivesmatter, #minoritylivesmatter in one of his earlier Instagram posts. "Hence I used the hashtag for migrants/minorities/poor in an earlier post, so that I could make BLM relatable to us. It would be counterproductive if we take the title of the movement, and replace the word "black" with who we see as the underprivileged in our, or any other country," he wrote.
Abhay further wrote: "To join hands authentically would be to find a peaceful way to bring about change in our own society, to headline our own movement. The 1st step we must take in order to do that is in recognising who is most vulnerable in our culture, why are they so, and what can be done about it. #blacklivesmatter #caste #casteinindia."
In an earlier post, Abhay criticised Bollywood celebrities for not voicing problems in their own country but speaking up on #BlackLivesMatter.
"Maybe it's time for these now? Now that "woke" indian celebrities and the middle class stand in solidarity with fighting systemic racism in America, perhaps they'd see how it manifests in their own backyard? America has exported violence to the world, they have made it a more dangerous place, it was but inevitable that it would come back karmically," Abhay wrote.
He continued: "I'm not saying they deserve it, I'm saying look at the picture in it's totality. I'm saying support them by calling out the systemic problems in your own country, because they turn out to be one and the same thing. I'm saying follow their lead but not their actions. Create your own actions, your own movement, relevant to your own country. That is what the #blacklivesmatter movement is all about! In the larger picture, there is no "us" and "them". There is not a country that's real. But a planet in peril. #migrantlivesmatter #minoritylivesmatter #poorlivesmatter #blacklivesmatter"
Following the death of an unarmed African-American man George Floyd, there have been protests worldwide. Several Bollywood celebrities also shared their concern and registered their protest regarding the same.
