A black star of the Empire attacked as part of a "possible hate crime" | showbiz

Jussie Smollett performs on two new tracks of the second season of "Empire". – Photo AFP

CHICAGO, January 20 – Jussie Smollett, black and openly gay actor, of the US television show Empire was hospitalized as a result of a bombing motivated by the hatred in which attackers tied a rope The police and his colleagues said to the neck.

News of the early morning attack shook the entertainment world and gay rights groups spoke out in favor of the 36-year-old actor.

Smollett was beaten at around 2:00 am by two badailants who shouted "racist and homophobic insults" while he was walking in the third city of the United States, said police, who do not believe it. He had not named but claimed that the victim was an actor of Empire .

The cast members and the Smollett production company identified him as the victim.

The attackers poured him "an unknown chemical" and then wrapped a rope around the actor's neck, according to his counterpart. to the police.

"Given the seriousness of the allegations, we take this investigation very seriously and consider it a possible hate crime," said the Chicago Police Department.

The actor and singer would have been in Chicago for a concert scheduled for Saturday

Senator Kamala Harris of California, who launched her campaign as the first black president of the United States in 2020, has described the incident as "attempted lynching modern times".

"No one should fear for his life because of their baduality or the color of their skin. We have to deal with this hate, "Harris said on Twitter.

Members of the production and casting team of Empire as well as the studio that produced the program, also spoke.

"The entire studio, network, and production is united against any act of violence and hateful hate – and especially one of ours," said 20th Century Fox Television in a statement.

The co-creator of the series, Lee Daniels, posted a video on Instagram calling Jussie "my son".

"You do not deserve, no one deserves, to have a noose around your neck," said Daniels, addressing the actor.

"Look up, Jussie. I agree. I'll be here in a minute. It's just another holiday in America, "he said.

Advocacy groups, including the Trevor Project and the American Civil Liberties Union, also quickly offered their support.

"LGBTQ people of color live at multiple intersections of oppression, too often suffering violence escalated by racism and homophobia," the ACLU said.

"It's not the America we want to live in." – AFP