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

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BTS #StopAsianHate tweet was most retweeted in 2021

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