Ah, the movie theatre, the one place on earth that guarantees escapism from politics and the troubles of the world… unless you’re a dangerously paranoid Donald Trump supporter that is.
Just when you thought this year couldn’t get any more ridiculous, the screenwriter of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story has been drawn to deny claims additional scenes were shot to cast Trump as a racist, white supremacist.
The hashtag #DumpStarWars began trending and earned 120,000 mentions on Twitter thanks to this tweet from @JackPosobiec of the Citizens for Trump group (via BBC).
https://twitter.com/statuses/806861054517149696
Screenwriter Christopher Weitz, a vocal critic of Trump, called the claims “completely fake.”
https://twitter.com/statuses/807030027766247424
Following Trump’s triumph in November, Weitz had pointed out The (fictional) Empire was “a white supremacist (human) organisation,” while another Star Wars writer Garry Whitta added said Empire was “opposed by a multi-cultural group led by brave women.”
Presumably, these remarks proved the inspiration for this week’s totally unfounded claims.
Trump supporters have previously attempted to orchestrate boycotts of Kellogs, Starbucks and the hit Broadway musical Hamilton, following perceived slights.
Twitter user @DarkTwistedMeow was among those mocking the attempted boycott.
https://twitter.com/statuses/807015093468884992
Star Wars: Rogue One opens next weekend. We guess this means less paranoid conspiracy theorists to share the movie theatre with? Always a good thing.
Watch The Refresh: The best tech gossip and reviews every week
Will you be checking out Rogue One on the opening weekend? Share your thoughts in the comments section below
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.