Karla Sofía Gascón Says ‘I Am Not a Racist’ Following Backlash From Resurfaced Offensive Tweets
Karla Sofía Gascón has issued another apology over her recently resurfaced controversial tweets, which included offensive comments about Muslims, the murder of George Floyd, and more.
The Oscar-nominated Emilia Pérez star posted a lengthy Instagram message on Saturday morning appearing to reiterate the apology she previously made. The initial apology coincided with her deleting her X (formerly Twitter) account, where she previously posted several offensive statements about Muslims, the murder of George Floyd, and more that resurfaced on Thursday.
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The new post includes a photo of a Nichiren Buddhist symbol and the words, “As with Emilia Pérez: We can all do better. Me too.”
In the caption, Gascón appeared to defend her previous posts as “taken out of context” and said “I am not racist” and wrote that she has a loved one that is Muslim.
“THEY ALREADY WON. The first thing I’d like to do is ask for the most sincere forgiveness from those who feel bad about the way I’ve expressed myself at any stage of my life,” the caption begins, via Variety who independently translated the post. “I have many things to learn in this world, the forms [in which I learn] are my biggest defect. Life has taught me something I never wanted to learn: It’s clear to me that no matter how much my message is my message, without using the proper words, [the message] can convert into another.”
Gascón added that having gone from “normal life” to the “top of my profession in just six months” has given her a responsibility not only to herself but to others who “feel represented and hopeful with me.” (Gascón made history as the first openly trans woman to be nominated for the Best Actress Academy Award).
She said that in recent years she’s turned to Nichiren Buddhism, and that it has “changed her life” and “those around me for the better,” adding that she’s “not the same person” she was 10 or 20 years ago. “Although I have not committed any crimes I was not perfect either, I am not even perfect now. I just try to learn and be a better person every day.” Several of the controversial posts were made in 2020 and later.
While the post began seemingly apologetically, it appeared to turn more defensive: “They have already won, they have achieved their objective, to stain my existence with lies or things taken out of context,” she wrote. “Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a racist (you will be surprised when you find out that one of the most important people in my current life and that I love the most is Muslim) nor any of the things for which I have been judged and condemned without trial and without option to explain true intention; I have always fought for a more just society and for a world of freedom, peace and love. I will never support wars, religious extremism or the oppression of races and peoples.”
She continued: “They have created posts as if it were me insulting even my colleagues, things that I wrote to glorify as if they were criticisms, jokes as if they were reality, words that without the background only seem like hate. Everything as long as I don’t win anything and I sink.”
It’s unclear who the “they” are she is referring to in her post.
The actress concluded with a message her mother shared with her: “I care very little whether you win anything, I just care about you being OK and that no one will harm you.” Gascón ended by sharing her response to her mother: “‘Mother, this life has put me here to send a message of hope and love to this world, I will do it.’”
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