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BTS join UN Global Goals to fight racism and hate speech, ARMY say 'we stand with you'

'So proud of these 7 boys trying to make this world a better place. I stan the right group,' said a BTS fan

In a recent interview, Coldplay’s Chris Martin asked BTS if they acknowledged that they were now at a point where they could be considered politicians. Suga responded that while that was not their aim when they started out, if they could use their influence to make positive changes, then they would. And that is what the global K-pop group has been doing. Other than speaking at the UN, they’ve also joined campaigns like Global Goals to call out racism and hate speech.

Human rights and eradicating discrimination have always been an agenda of the UN. However, in 2019, they took a firm step by writing an open letter to relevant authorities and social media companies to control hate speech. They wrote that they wanted the States to “work towards policies that guarantee the rights to equality and non-discrimination and freedom of expression, as well as the right to live a life free of violence, through the promotion of tolerance, diversity.” And their recent call for action has BTS and ARMY joining in.

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BTS call out racism and hate speech

Earlier, it was revealed that BTS had received their diplomatic passports to attend the UN’s General Assembly as Special Envoys of South Korea’s President. Along with speaking at the Assembly, the group will have other activities to solve global issues like poverty, environment, inequality and respect for diversity. And they have taken their first steps by joining ‘Youth Today’ and ‘Global Goals’, a social media campaign by the UN to call out racism and hate speech.

Facebook and other social media platforms have been using photo frames for profile photos to mark different events and the UN has made the most of it. Their ‘Keeping The Promise’ series has different types of frames for different issues like climate change, women empowerment and racism. They want people to join in and by using the frames, keep their word to work towards delivering these promises. They hope to use this campaign to mobilize individuals as well as businesses and countries to make these goals their own and reach them.

On September 18, BTS joined in and selected the promise to call out racism and hate speech. They added, “If we believe there’s hope, we will find the way.” The seven-member group also called ARMY and asked them to join the ‘Global Goals’ and pick one goal that they will promise to fight for. Proud fans were touched and motivated with thousands of them joining in.

'I stan the right group'

ARMY is trending #CallOutRacismHateSpeech to spread awareness about the issue. They tweeted, “Thank you for using your voices and speaking out.” One also encouraged other ARMY to join in, “Speak yourself, ARMY And speak up when hatred and racism are around you.” Another added, “Im ac emotional abt this rn. you guys been thru so much regarding hate speech and racism, and even aft standing up for the anti asian hate movement you were attacked for it. you guys have so much- you guys are so confident and have so much guts, some which nobody else would.”

And others went on to pledge themselves too with posts like, “All people in the world do not deserve to receive hatred for the color of their skin or their nationality, in the same way if you do not want them to mess with you respect. If you throw stones do not expect to receive roses,” and “We stand with you. And im against Racism and Discrimination.” "So proud of these 7 boys trying to make this world a better place. I stan the right group," said another.