People have turned on Mark Wahlberg over his past convictions for hate crimes after he posted a message of support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
The 49-year-old actor, whose catalogue of films include Deepwater Horizon and Patriots Day, posted a picture of George Floyd on Instagram, and captioned the post: “The murder of George Floyd is heartbreaking. We must all work together to fix this problem. I'm praying for all of us. God bless. #blacklivesmatter.”
However, Wahlberg’s tribute didn’t sit right with a number of people, who were quick to point out his history of offences against people of colour.
In 1986, Wahlberg and two friends were issued a civil rights injunction over a 1986 incident in which they threw rocks at a group of 10 and 11-year-old Black children while yelling racist slurs.
In 1988, a then 17-year-old Wahlberg attacked two Vietnamese men on the street, while using racist language. He served 45 days in prison for the attacks.
Twitter user @dannyderaney commented on Wahlberg’s white privilege:
Others highlighted the fact that John Boyega fears losing his career over taking a stance for Black Lives Matter, while Wahlberg is still one of the world’s biggest movie stars:
Wahlberg previously attempted to seek a pardon for his convictions in 2014, which was not without controversy. In his petition Wahlberg said he was “deeply sorry” for the assaults and had worked hard to become a role model.
However, after backlash, his petition for a pardon was closed in 2016, with Wahlberg saying he “regretted” his actions.
“I spent 28 years righting the wrong,” he told The Wrap. “I didn’t need a piece of paper to acknowledge it. I was kind of pushed into doing it, I certainly didn’t need to or want to relive that stuff over again.”
The Standard has contacted representatives of Mark Wahlberg for comment.
