Donald Tapia in hot water for ‘All Lives Matter’ reply to Seoul’s US Embassy tweet
US Ambassador to Jamaica Donald Tapia has found himself in the middle of controversy this weekend for a tweet in which he claimed the South Korean embassy showing solidarity with the #BlackLivesMatter movement is going “too far”.
Tapia, from his official Twitter account on Saturday afternoon (June 13), didn’t take too kindly to the US Embassy in Seoul erecting a banner as black Americans continue their fight against racial injustice and police brutality—responding with the argumentative, racist ‘All Lives Matter’ counter.
That’s taking it to far. All life’s mater .— US Ambassador to Jamaica (@AmbassadorUS_JA)
That’s taking it to far. All life’s mater .— US Ambassador to Jamaica (@AmbassadorUS_JA) June 13, 2020
“That’s taking it [too] far. All [lives matter],”
the account tweeted in reply.
The poorly written, grammatically erroneous
tweet seemed to be a complete reversal of his stance last Saturday, where he
was pictured being on the ground with protesters in Kingston for a similar
Black Lives Matter protest just outside the US Embassy in Jamaica.
US Ambassador — US Embassy Jamaica (@USEmbassyJA)
US Ambassador — US Embassy Jamaica (@USEmbassyJA) @AmbassadorUS_JA join local Jamaican activists in a peaceful protest against racism and discrimination staged in front of the U.S. Embassy. pic.twitter.com/XoKgqX2ckyJune 6, 2020
Some have surmised that the account was hacked, however, overall sentiments towards the tweet have been disappointment and ire.
The tweet has not been deleted.
For others, the stance taken by Tapia’s
account could be viewed in line with racially charged rhetoric by US President
Donald Trump, whose administration appointed the Detroit businessman in August
2019.
“This is a highly inappropriate position
for a US Ambassador to Jamaica. It’s not surprising that a Trump appointee in
Jamaica can’t even get this racist retort correct,” one man replied to Tapia.
More still, were vindicated in their resolve for labelling Ambassador Tapia joining last week’s protest outside the US Embassy in Kingston as a publicity stunt.
Racial tensions continue to run high in the
United States for nearly a month since the death of George Floyd at the hands
of officers from the Minneapolis Police Department on My 25.
Floyd’s death, which was recorded for the entire country to see, triggered protests and rioting across the US, as well as the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Mexico, Germany, Brazil, Belgium, France and other countries across the world.
How do you feel about the tweet, BUZZ fam?
