Hugh Jackman criticised for posting police photo after anti-racism Instagram message

Louis Chilton
·4 min read
Getty Images for Montblanc
Getty Images for Montblanc

Hugh Jackman has spoken out about systemic racism, following widespread global protests over the death of Minneapolis man George Floyd.

However, many have criticised the Australian actor for subsequently sharing a photo of a black protester embracing a police officer.

Floyd died while in custody of police. Officer Derek Chauvin was filmed kneeling on Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes.

An independent autopsy ruled that Floyd’s death was a homicide, and the cause of death was asphyxiation from sustained pressure.

People have been protesting about Floyd’s death in all 50 US states, as well as in other cities around the world, including Paris and London.

The Austrailian actor wrote on Instagram: “I reach for the words of my mentors who’ve helped guide me through life. One of those mentors is Nelson Mandela. He said ‘Racism must be opposed by all means that it has at its disposal. No truer words have been spoken.”

The US police force has been criticised for their response to the protests, with an abundance of video evidence emerging that shows police officers actively escalating the violence.

Many have responded to Jackson’s police photo, which was captioned “Solidarity”, in outrage.

One commenter wrote: “Solidarity? This is what you choose to post. We are seeing black bodies slaughtered and this is what you choose to post.”

View this post on Instagram

SOLIDARITY. Repost @tanksgoodnews

A post shared by Hugh Jackman (@thehughjackman) on Jun 3, 2020 at 5:58am PDT

“Posting one seemingly happy picture really shadows all the awful things police are doing right now,” wrote another.

Jackson’s initial post had read: “I was taught, and try to teach my kids: the balance between the head and the heart, between emotions and reason is very difficult. My instinct is always that when emotion is high, I try to call on reason. And when my brain is dominating, I try to open my heart.”

View this post on Instagram

In difficult times when I’m unsure what to do, or how to lead my family … I reach for the words of my mentors who’ve helped guide me through life. One of those mentors is Nelson Mandela. He said “Racism must be opposed by all means that it has at its disposal”. No truer words have been spoken. The tragic death of George Floyd has prompted many conversations in my home and with friends around the world. Conversations that are, in large part, long past due. A friend from the Areyonga community in Australia emailed me over the weekend. He said, “The protests that are in the U.S. are on my lounge TV and all over the Red Center. We know how they feel”. This was such a timely reminder that what’s happening in the U.S. is happening all over the world, including my home country. I was taught, and try to teach my kids: the balance between the head and the heart, between emotion and reason is very difficult. My instinct is always that when emotion is high, I try to call on reason. And, when my brain is dominating, I try to open my heart. My emotions tell me that we need to take this tragic loss (and all those that came before) to change systemic racism the world over. My reason tells me that one size does not fit all. We need to listen and begin to try to understand. My heart goes out to George Floyd’s family. May his untimely death be a catalyst for change. I will use this moment to reflect, to refocus and to make sure I am part of change.

A post shared by Hugh Jackman (@thehughjackman) on Jun 1, 2020 at 9:25am PDT

In his post, Jackson also said: “My emotions tell me that we need to take this tragic loss (and all those that came before) to change systemic racism the world over.”

“My reason tells me one size does not fit all. We need to listen and begin to try and understand.”

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