From ‘Star Wars’ to the War on Racism: John Boyega’s Speech at a London Protest Moved Masses

British film star John Boyega took to the streets of London on Tuesday to show his support for the Black Lives Matter protests. The actor has previously spoken out and condemned the violent acts which led to the death of George Floyd on May 25th.

Matching his words with action, Boyega marched with protestors and assembled a large crowd to listen to him speak to the end of systematic racism. "Black lives have always mattered," he roared, "We have always been important. We have always meant something. We have always succeeded regardless. And now is the time. I ain't waiting."

Pictured with tear stained cheeks and often having to pause in order to gain his composure, the proudly British-Nigerian star went on to say, "Today is an important day, we are fighting for our rights. We are fighting for our ability to live in freedom."

Speaking to the instances of looting and public destruction often performed to delegitimize the protests, Boyega noted, "It is very, very important that we keep control of this movement, and we make this as peaceful as possible…they want us to mess up."

Boyega shared an impassioned statement against racism last month, defending his stance against naysayers who took issue with his tweet which read "I fucking hate racists."

He later doubled down on his statement in an Instagram live, saying "So I'll say it again…fuck you racist white people. I said what I said." He drew support from many online, who felt that his actions were a prime example of how celebrities should be using their platforms to call out racism.

Although many countries have joined the fight and protested in solidarity with the United States of America in light of the recent murders of unarmed Black people, the United Kingdom has undoubtedly been guilty of their own instances of racial injustices and police brutality against Black citizens. Demonstrators across the globe continue to gather in support of change.