'Black Panther': Twitter trolls plant fake stories about racially motivated violence during opening weekend
The trolls are out in full force again, this time directing their dubious efforts toward “Black Panther.” As noted by “Guardians of the Galaxy” director James Gunn, their latest tactic is to invent stories about racially motivated violence at opening-weekend screenings of Ryan Coogler’s acclaimed superhero drama.
“The racists are out and rearing their ugly heads with lots of fake tweets about violence at #BlackPanther screenings,” Gunn tweeted. “In truth, people from all walks of life have been enjoying the film together this weekend. Don’t let this BS scare you away.”
Nestled within Gunn’s tweet was another providing proof that images purportedly taken by victims showing their injuries were in fact lifted from the internet. It isn’t the first such incident “Black Panther” has had to contend with, as the Facebook group Down With Disney’s Treatment of Franchises and its Fanboys launched an event called Give Black Panther a Rotten Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes. The review aggregator responded by saying that “any users who engage in such activities will be blocked from our site and their comments removed as quickly as possible.”
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more: ‘Black Panther’ Actor Says Her Character’s Queer Flirtation Scene Was Deleted
“Black Panther” has earned critical acclaim and is on track for a hugely successful weekend at the box office, with the latest estimates suggesting it will make more than $200 million over its first four days.
The racists are out and rearing their ugly heads with lots of fake tweets about violence at #BlackPanther screenings. In truth, people from all walks of life have been enjoying the film together this weekend. Don’t let this BS scare you away.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) February 17, 2018
Fake posts are being created to make black people look bad and the sad part of it is some people will believe them #BlackPantherpic.twitter.com/XzNMoxFmWs
— Trapa Fasa (@trapafasa) February 16, 2018
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