Actor Samuel L. Jackson sparked controversy online over the weekend when he called upon people to cheer against Argentina in the World Cup due it being “historically” racist.
The controversy erupted when Jackson shared an Instagram Story that featured his character Stephen from Django Unchained wearing an Argentina soccer jersey; the character Stephen was notorious for being a race traitor who terrorized his own people to curry favor with his white masters.
“Dear Black People… Please do not cheer or root for Argentina to win the FIFA World Cup. Argentina has historically been one of, if not the most racist countries in the world. ‘If you are a Black person cheering for Argentina, this is what you look like to me.’ We hear you loud and clear,” he said.
While the country of Argentina has not been without controversy, especially its acceptance of roughly 5,000 Nazis following World War II, people on social media felt Samuel L. Jackson had gone too far in castigating an entire nation. Comments flooding Jackson’s Instagram posts were mostly negative.
“What you posted was dangerous and you have no idea what you’re talking about. Black people live, love and in peace in Argentina and it has been like that for years, even before the US. Please, if you care, find a trustworthy argentinean source, not Twitter or Google/AI,” said one user.
“Please speak with facts. Argentina has welcomed immigrants and refugees from all over the world for generations. Calling us ‘the most racist country’ is simply false,” said another user.
“In 1813, Argentina’s Asamblea del Año XIII enacted the Free Womb Law (Ley de Libertad de Vientres) on January 31st, declaring that all children born to enslaved mothers from that date forward in the territory of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata would be considered free persons,” another said.
“Argentina was the first country in the Americas to abolish slavery, a country where people from all cultures blended together,” added another.