Openly gay actor George Takei has made a crucial point about the treatment of immigrants by the current US administration.
The Star Trek protagonist will star in the upcoming anthological sci-fi show The Terror: Infamy. The actor presented the new instalment at a panel at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con on 19 July.
This second season, set to premiere on AMC in August, combines the story of Japanese-American internment during WWII with supernatural elements.
Co-creators Max Borenstein and Alexander Woo initially brought Takei – forced to live in US-run internment camps with his family from 1942 till the end of the war – on board as consultant. That then led to Takei starring in the show as Yamato-san.
George Takei takes on Trump administration
Describing those dark days of US history, George Takei drew an eerie comparison with what is happening today.
‘It is an eerie and chilling echo in current politics,’ he said in a video interview with Sky News.
‘During the last presidential campaign, we heard the chant, “Lock her up,” meaning Hillary Clinton,’ he also said.
‘Now we’re hearing the chant, “Send her back,”‘ he continued, referring to Trump’s comments aimed at four Democratic female reps of color.
Takei then explained that these racist and sexist chants resemble those heard by Japanese immigrants in the US during the 40s – with one difference.
‘What’s happening today, though, is a new low because we as children were never torn away from our parents.’
Takei attacked the current administration for the ‘horror and infamy’ on the border with Mexico, where parents often see their children taken away from them.
Trump attempts at silencing minorities and George Takei isn’t having it
The actor also took to Twitter today (20 July) to criticize the attempt at silencing minorities.
Here’s the thing: When you tell immigrants and minorities to love America or leave it, you are telling us to shut up. We can never voice our opinion to say, for example, that America is not living up to its ideals. We speak out anyway because we want a better America. For all.
— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) July 20, 2019
‘Here’s the thing: When you tell immigrants and minorities to love America or leave it, you are telling us to shut up. We can never voice our opinion to say, for example, that America is not living up to its ideals,’ Takei wrote.
‘We speak out anyway because we want a better America. For all.’
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