LaKeith Stanfield Apologizes for Moderating Anti-Semitic Clubhouse Chat

“I condemn hate speech and discriminatory views of every kind,” actor writes

LaKeith Stanfield has apologized for his participation in and moderation of a Clubhouse chat this week that included anti-Semitic remarks, saying he condemns “hate speech and discriminatory views of every kind.”

“Yesterday I entered an online chat room on Clubhouse about the teachings of Louis Farrakhan. When the room’s participants noticed me, I was quickly made a moderator of this room,” the Oscar nominee said in a statement posted to Instagram on Friday. “At some point during the dialogue the discussion took a very negative turn when several users made abhorrent anti-Semitic statements and at that point, I should have either shut down the discussion or removed myself from it entirely.”

The “Atlanta” star continued: “I condemn hate speech and discriminatory views of every kind. I unconditionally apologize for what went on in that chat room, and for allowing my presence there to give a platform to hate speech. I am not an anti-Semite nor do I condone any of the beliefs discussed in that chat roorm[sic].”

According to The Daily Beast, the Clubhouse chat room in question stemmed off of another room that had been shut down by a moderator due to offensive anti-Semitic remarks.

“I’m not even Jewish,” Kareem Rifai, who was in the second Clubhouse chat, the one during which Stanfield was a moderator, told The Daily Beast. “I’m an ally to Jewish people and I was there for my Jewish friends who were there because I’m sure it was very traumatic for them. Honestly, I can’t describe it… I felt sick to my stomach for most of it.”

Rifai added: “Some of the things that were said were worse than things that I’ve read or heard about neo-Nazis saying, it was insane.”

More to come…