- The tweet, which received more than 1 million retweets and over 2.5 million likes, stated, “We cannot put into words the pain of becoming the subject of hatred and violence for such a reason. Our own experiences are inconsequential compared to the events that have occurred over the past few weeks. But these experiences were enough to make us feel powerless and chip away our self-esteem.”
- “What is happening right now cannot be dissociated from our identity as Asians. It required considerable time for us to discuss this carefully and we contemplated deeply on how we should voice our message,” BTS added.
- In Twitter’s announcement, the company stated: “The most Retweeted Tweet of 2021 takes a more serious tone and brings us back to the social movements that dominated the conversation and brought people across the globe together in support of a mutual cause. During a period in which we saw a rise in hate crimes against Asians, BTS put their influence and massive following to good use, sharing a powerful message in an effort to #StopAsianHate.”
- “We stand against racial discrimination. We condemn violence. You, I and we all have the right to be respected. We will stand together,” BTS concluded.
- The selfie has garnered over 3.2 million likes, next in line to President Joe Biden’s Inauguration tweet, which has received more than 4 million likes. Biden tweeted, “It’s a new day in America,” on Jan. 20 as he was sworn in as the 46th president of the U.S.
- BTS fans also broke records celebrating the boy band’s performances and awards throughout the year, making “#BTS” the top Twitter hashtag of 2021 while sharing BTS’ Billboard Hot 100 hit “Butter” and the band’s “Dynamite” Grammys performance.