John Legend urges networks to deplatform those who push racist conspiracy theoriesJohn Legend urges networks to deplatform those who push racist conspiracy theories
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John Legend is speaking out about the rise of racist conspiracy theories across the U.S. and demanding major news networks deplatform those who spread them.
Legend’s comments were made after an 18-year-old white man carried out a mass shooting at a Buffalo, New York, supermarket on Saturday. Ten people were killed in what authorities describe as a “racially motivated hate crime.”
Authorities say the shooter was motivated by a racist, far-right conspiracy theory, called the “great replacement theory,” that claims white Americans are being intentionally replaced by minorities and immigrants. Legend is now pushing anyone who expresses support of the theory to lose their platform.
The Grammy winner shared a video of Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson seemingly supporting the theory and wrote on Twitter, “Tucker and similar proponents of this evil ideology continue to poison the minds of millions.”
“They have contributed to multiple terrorist massacres and will continue to do so. This is sickening and dangerous,” the “All of Me” singer continued. “This should not be on a major cable network.”
Legend continued in a follow-up thread, “Followers of this ideology have been massacring Jews, Blacks, Asians, Latinos. When will we ostracize and deplatform these terrorist sympathizers on our TV and social networks?”
The New York Times investigated claims of Carlson pushing the “great replacement theory” on his show and found he has claimed in more than 400 episodes that the Democratic party is using it to “force demographic change” in the country.
The Voice coach asked in response, “In no other context would a terrorist sympathizing news anchor be allowed to continue to spew this nonsense as the body count continues to mount. Why do white supremacist terrorist sympathizers get a pass?”
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