MEAWW.COM / NEWS / CELEBRITY NEWS

'Hate speech right there': Internet slams Whoopi Goldberg for 'inciting violence' against White people

'I’m not suggesting that. So don’t write us and tell me what a racist I am,' Whoopi Goldberg said

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Whoopi Goldberg, co-host on 'The View', has chimed in on Tyre Nichols' death, questioning whether or not changes to policing were necessary before watching "White people get beat." Speaking about the incident where five cops brutally beat up the 29-year-old, who died in a hospital, Goldberg argued that her comment did not incite violence, but she did advocate for significant police reform. 

Nichols' death caused outrage around the world after disturbing bodycam footage in Memphis revealed the young man being pummeled, tased and pepper sprayed by five cops while continuously pleading for his mother. His parents also made an appearance on 'The View' on Monday, January 30, to pay tribute to their son, who had a positive impact on everyone he knew.

RELATED NEWS

'Time to end The View': ABC faces massive calls to fire Whoopi Goldberg and axe controversial talk show

Tragic death of Tyre Nichols: 5 ex-Memphis cops charged with murder after beating motorist to death

Whoopi Goldberg demands police reforms

On January 7, Nichols, a father and enthusiastic skateboarder, was arrested for alleged "reckless driving." He was pronounced dead in a hospital three days after his brutal assault. Activists have drawn parallels between his death and the deaths of George Floyd and Elijah McClain, two Black men killed by cops. Goldberg asked on 'The View' whether watching White people being pummeled by cops would boost the debate. "I’m not suggesting that. So don’t write us and tell me what a racist I am. I’m just asking is that what people have to see in order to wake up and realize this affects us all?" she reportedly said.

The 67-year-old host demanded police reform "from the ground up" She reportedly said, "Clearly it doesn’t matter if it’s a White policeman or Black policeman. It is a problem in the policing itself. It seems things don't seem to make sense to people unless it's somebody they can feel or they can recognize."

Internet goes on the warpath against Whoopi Goldberg

Many netizens slammed Goldberg for her comments with a user tweeting, "Whoopi Goldberg just shamefully said on The View that “we need to see white people also get beaten before anybody will do anything” about the police. ABC needs to fire Whoopi immediately." Another user wrote, "They sure do and we should file a class action suit against her and the show." One user claimed, "I’ve seen videos of many of white men harmed and killed at the hands of policemen. She’s just racist and doesn’t care unless their black." Another claimed, "Probably because it gets attention when she shows her racist face." Another person noted, "That’s totally inciting violence. Is that what she wants? Hate speech right there. Why is that allowed? No ethics, no morality, no sense." "Whoopi’s just mad because her arteries are 99% blocked," remarked an unhappy user.

Others defended her claims with one clarifying on Twitter, "Stop lying! She literally posed this as a question then immediately said 'I'm not suggesting that.'" Another wrote, "She said DO we need to see, not we need to see." "She’s not wrong," said a third.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.