Riz Ahmed has revealed he has lost two family members to coronavirus as he says ethnic minorities are “bottom of the barrel” and “hardest hit” by pandemic.
The Venom and Four Lions actor, who was born in London to a British Pakistani family, confirmed to GQ Hype that he has lost two relatives to Covid-19.
He told the publication about their deaths as he said he hopes the surge of appreciation the NHS is receiving will draw attention to racism and prejudice against ethic minorities who have been fighting on the frontline.
Riz said: “I have lost two family members to Covid. I just want to believe their deaths and all the others aren’t for nothing. We gotta step up to re-imagine a better future.”
Riz Ahmed (left) has lost two relatives to coronavirus (Image: Getty Images for The Hollywood R)
The 37-year-old added: “I’m seeing reports of India, where the government are calling it ‘corona-jihad’ and they’re trying to blame it on the spread of Muslims and they are segregating hospitals between Muslims and non-Muslims.
“Trump is using it as an excuse to try to ban immigration and the Hungarian government is centralising power off the back of this.”
Riz continued voicing his opinions as he used his fame to bring attention to the world’s issues.
The 37-year-old spoke out on how ethnic minorities are struggling (Image: (Credit too long, see caption))
He braverly continued: “I’m looking at the fact it’s hitting African-Americans twice as hard; I’m looking at the fact that 50 per cent of NHS frontline workers – is it 50 per cent? – are ethnic minorities.”
The star went on to refer to the viral video of Clap For Me Now, where he compared it to his latest album, in which he symbolically broke up with Britain.
He said: “It’s almost like there is an alternate ending to The Long Goodbye! I’ve walked off, but Britney’s (a stand-in for Britain) called me back again.
He is most famous for starring in Four Lions and Venom (Image: PA)
“Britannia’s saying: ‘I need you! Come back!’ She’s saying: ‘We need you frontline staff. We need you Uber drivers. We need you shelf stackers.’
“Who are the people who, for every moment of crisis in this country, have kept this country together?”
He continued: “It’s the people at the bottom of the barrel; the people being hit hardest by this pandemic.
“We say we love the NHS more than the royal family, more than the Army, but do we love the people who keep the NHS alive?
“Because every time we tell people to f*** off back to where they came from, that’s not what we’re saying.
“So I really hope that this revelation, this awakening, opens our minds to that reality, to the stupidity of our prejudice.”
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
