Jason Momoa, known for his roles in mega franchises such as Game of Thrones and the DCEU, recently uploaded a post on Instagram in which he approved of British protesters who tore down the statue of Edward Colston in Bristol last week.
For context, Colston was an English merchant and a member of parliament. He was also, like many wealthy and influential men of his time, a slave driver who made money off of capturing and shipping African natives to the New World. Momoa called the video, which shows the statue being torn from its platform by a mass of rioters, “amazing.”
Baffling as it is though, some outlets have condemned both Momoa and the protesters while simultaneously praising men like Colston. Bounding Into Comics, for instance, called Colston a “philanthropist” rather than a slave driver, and only alluded to the merchant’s involvement with buying and selling lives by quoting the caption of Momoa’s post.
What’s more, they also note that Momoa endorsed the “destruction of property” when, in reality, all the actor was doing was showing his support for the campaign to tear down certain offensive monuments, objects which are not owned by anyone except the state, and therefore ought not to be considered the property of anyone.
Of course, Jason Momoa is only the latest celebrity to express solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. Other big names, such as John Cusack, Ariana Grande and Kendrick Sampson, have joined protesters in the streets of their cities while others, such as Oprah Winfrey, Beyoncé and many more, have urged their followers to promote justice on social media.
