Anime and Video Game Fan Artist Sakimi-Chan Faces Accusations of Racism After Liking Tweets Critical of Black Lives Matter

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Jun 14, 2020

Sakimi-Chan, a popular video game and anime fan artist best known for her ‘pin-up’ style artwork, has found herself at the center of a massive wave of internet outrage after critics found that she had ‘liked’ tweets critical of the Black Lives Matter movement.

On June 12th, artist Tajaé Keith declared that “Sakimichan is getting the axe this season!” and accused the fan artist of racism and endorsing “anti-black/anti-BLM/[pro] cop propaganda,” sharing screenshots of four tweets critical of the Black Lives Matter movement found in the ‘likes’ of Sakimi-Chan’s official Twitter account.

Related: Popular Anime and Video Game Pin-Up Artist Sakimi-chan Accused of Being “Fatphobic”

He added, “We need to talk about why this anti Blackness is so prevalent in the Asian artist community. Ya’ll need to come give them the boot yourselves. There’s no way that this is the first time she’s liked stuff like this, what else has she done???”

He continued, “So many of ya’ll follow her. I’m sure a lot of people have mutuals with her, did no one really see this? What the f*** is going on.”

Keith then stated, “point blank period, I’m breaking mutuals and unfollowing anyone who still rocks with her after we get her anti-Black/anti-BLM/cop propaganda info out in the open.”

The liked Tweets included one featuring a video documenting a black man as he “exposes” Black Lives Matter and three from Candace Owens in which the conservative political commentator criticizes the recent riots, the indirect contribution of Black Lives Matter donations to a Democrat super PAC, and the character of the late George Floyd.

Related: Over 40 Hollywood Celebrities Who Donated To Social Justice Causes Including Black Lives Matter and Minnesota Freedom Fund

Critics of Sakimi-chan and opponents of her perceived political views quickly echoed Keith’s accusations, condemning the artist for her assumed racism and using the opportunity to, once again, attack her portfolio.

Related: Digital Extremes Ends Warframe Partnership Program Eligibility for DogManDan Over Criticism Of Black Lives Matter Movement

Responding to the backlash, Sakimi-chan both ‘unliked’ the offending Tweets and issued an apology for “the offense I’ve cause with posts I’ve liked.”

She wrote, “I want to apologize for the offense I’ve caused with posts I’ve liked. I have removed them, again I’m very sorry if I have offended you with them. I will keep my tweet feed/like section art only from now on. Below is a more detailed version of my thoughts.”

The lengthier apology begins, “Hey guys, as you may know this account has gotten a lot of attention lately over some likes in the feed. The world has changed so quickly, and the power and hope of the BlackLivesMatter protests have sparked hope for many people who have been marginalized and oppressed for way too long.”

It continues, “Change is not without it’s frustration though, and as a someone with many friends who are also small business owners in cities across the world, as well as friends who are police or family with law enforcement, our hearts break for the people harmed by some of the looting and rioting that have occurred in some areas.”

“Please understand that I do not confuse people destroying things with the many people peacefully protesting for equality and change. I also don’t really follow American politics closely, and I’m not really interested in taking sides in any political discussion. I’m pro peaceful protest that have resulted in police reform and other positive changes and I’m against the violence from both the riots, looting as well as the police violence towards peaceful protestors,” she stated.

She added, “I also appreciate all the peaceful protestors that have banned together to stop looters and protect others from harm from those who seek to cause trouble. Those are my thoughts.”

She then concluded, “Other than that, I’m here for the art, and I will try and keep the account art-only to focus both on my feed as well as in my like area. I want to focus on the positives we all have in common. Not things that divide us. Thank you for reading.”

Related: Gerry Conway Reveals New Black Lives Matter Punisher Logos

Unsuprisingly, this apology was unsatisfactory for Sakimi-chan’s detractors and did little to deter the vitriol directed towards her, with critics continuing their attacks and admitting that she never had a hope of redemption.

Related: Batman: White Knight Creator Sean Gordon Murphy Clarifies Previous Comments Calling For End To Looting, Supports Black Lives Matter

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