Activist and Former Star Trek star George Takei condemns AAPI violence: “This is racism and it is intolerable”
George Takei, known for playing Sulu on Star Trek, appears on MSNBC to condemn AAPI violence
MARCH 25, 2021 - Former Star Trek actor and current activist George Takei has spoken out against the recent wave of anti-Asian sentiment in the United States.
Takei appeared on MSNBC last Friday with Katy Tur where he discussed the increase in violence against Asian-American and Pacific Islanders, or AAPI people. It was in the wake of the mass shooting in Atlanta on March 16th that left eight people dead, six of whom were Asian women. In a highlight clip on The Huffington Post, Takei expressed rage at the tragedy, which he says was caused by racism and inflamed by the rhetoric of the former president.
Takei also addressed the shooter’s alleged motivation for the killings - a “sexual addiction” - and condemned the fetishization of Asian women.
When Tur asked him about how the Asian community felt during the last presidency, when the president himself as well his top advisers used slurs such as “The China Virus” and “Kung Flu” when talking about COVID-19, Takei described it as “a chill”: “It’s a chill that goes out into the community, or worse: it's a frigid cold that goes out. I'm not likely to be targeted, but we have grandparents, parents, brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews [...] And immediately we become concerned. So it's just a chill that goes out throughout the country.”
Of course, Takei sadly has first-hand experience with violence and prejudice against Asian-Americans. He himself was sent to an internment camp for Japanese-Americans at a young age, a subject he has written and spoken about many times, including in his graphic novel They Called Us Enemy, and in his Broadway play Allegiance.
When asked how he thinks we can do better as a society, Takei emphasized leadership. “Some are led by the masses, others truly lead and educate and enlighten. And that’s what President Biden is doing, but it’s also coming from the community itself. The service organizations in the various Asian-American communities throughout the country are now organizing.”
To watch Takei’s full interview, head to MSNBC on YouTube.