Skip to main content
Dec 9, 2021 - Technology

BTS #StopAsianHate tweet was most retweeted in 2021

Hope King
screenshot of a BTS tweet to support Stop Asian Hate movement

Twitter Screenshot: BTS

A #StopAsianHate tweet was the most retweeted in 2021, Twitter said on Thursday. The post, from K-pop group BTS, generated nearly 1 million retweets.

Why it matters: The tweet, published on March 29, came a few weeks after a 21-year-old white man shot and killed eight people, six of whom were Asian women, in Georgia.

The big picture: Attacks on Asians in the U.S. and around the world have grown in number significantly since the start of the pandemic. 

  • In the U.S., anti-Asian hate crimes increased more than 76% in 2020 from 2019, compared to overall hate crimes, which rose 13%, according to FBI data. 
  • From March 19, 2020 through September this year, hate incidents have exceeded 10,000, according to reports submitted to the Stop AAPI Hate coalition.

In its post, BTS members wrote: “We cannot put into words the pain of becoming the subjects of hatred and violence.”

  • “We stand against racial discrimination … You, I and we all have the right to be respected.”

Go deeper: The Asian American Foundation builds national advocacy network to fight anti-Asian hate

Go deeper