Star Wars actor John Boyega: ‘Black lives have always mattered.’

Protests in solidarity to the death of George Floyd have happened in cities around the world. John Boyega, known for his rolein the Star Wars trilogy, led the protests in London. He made it clear the protest was more important than any future acting jobs.

John Boyega

Actor John Boyega speaks at a Black Lives Matter protest rally in Hyde Park, London. Source: Victoria Jones/PA Wire

In the last few days, Black Lives Matter solidarity protests have been happening worldwide - from Berlin, Dublin, Sydney to London.

With a crowd of thousands of young people, British actor John Boyega led the protests in London.

Boyega, who played Finn in the recent Star Wars films, cupped his megaphone and told those in attendance: "I'm speaking to you from my heart. Look, I don't know if I'm going to have a career after this, but fuck that."
Boyega hasn’t been afraid to make his feelings about racism and police brutality clear. 

Last week, just a few days into the protests in Minneapolis after the death of George Floyd, he went on Instagram to address his fans: “Any racist shit that’s straight up blocked, it’s fine.”

“If you’re a fan of me, and you’re racist: f*ck off...I’m not the guy, I’m not Hollywood,” Boyega said.
At the protest, Boyega made a three minute long speech. One highlight that’s been shared over social media was his impassioned rallying cry: “Black lives have always mattered. We have always been important. We have always meant something. We have always succeeded regardless. And now is the time. I ain’t waiting.”
Nearing the end of the protests Boyega thanked everyone, told the black protesters in the crowd “black people I love you”, before calling on everyone to “take a knee”.
Even the police in attendance joined in to pay their respects.
While he commented that he might be risking his career with his actions, it doesn't seem like that's likely.
A few hours after the protests, LucasFilm released a statement over Twitter giving their support to Boyega.

"LucasFilm stands with John Boyega and his message," the statement read.

"The evil that is racism must stop. We will commit to being a part of the change that is long overdue in the world.

"John Boyega, you are our hero."

Share
Follow The Feed
Through award winning storytelling, The Feed continues to break new ground with its compelling mix of current affairs, comedy, profiles and investigations. See Different. Know Better. Laugh Harder. Read more about The Feed
Have a story or comment? Contact Us

Through award winning storytelling, The Feed continues to break new ground with its compelling mix of current affairs, comedy, profiles and investigations. See Different. Know Better. Laugh Harder.
Watch nowOn Demand
Follow The Feed
2 min read

Published

Updated

By Ahmed Yussuf

Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world