By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-11-20 15:08:53 | Updated at 2024-11-23 21:27:35
3 days ago
Ousted Squad member Jamaal Bowman has been branded 'racist' by people on X after going on a bizarre rant about Star Wars.
Bowman, who lost the Democratic primary in June, vowed to 'spend the rest of my days denouncing this franchise' if the next lead Jedi is 'not a black man'.
The New York Congressman's comments came in a tweet announcing that the next Star Wars movie trilogy is in the works by X-Men writer-producer Simon Kinberg.
'If the lead Jedi is not a Black man I ain’t messing with yall. Yall not about to make 12 Star Wars and have all white leads for all 12,' Bowman, 48, wrote on X.
'Y’all wilding with that and I hate to say that I would not watch and will spend the rest of my days denouncing this franchise that I have loved forever.
'The new Jedi order better be multicultural with a Black super powerful lead. We ain’t playing yall!'
Bowman's comments sparked fury online, with X users branding him 'racist' and 'a clown', while pointing out that black actors including Samuel L Jackson and John Boyega had played leading roles in the Star Wars movies.
Ousted Squad member Jamaal Bowman (pictured) has been branded 'racist' by people on Twitter /X after going on a bizarre rant about the Star Wars franchise
Bowman, who lost the Democratic primary in June , vowed to 'spend the rest of my days denouncing this franchise' if the next lead Jedi is 'not a black man'
'Nobody asked for your racist opinion', one person said, while another added: 'Shut the f*** up, you clown... go race-bait and gaslight somewhere else.'
'It's a shame you look at things through a racial lens as much as you do,' one X user wrote. 'It seems racist to a normal person.'
Others also made jokes about Bowman pulling the fire alarm during a House vote that would have avoided a government shutdown on September 30.
Pictured: American actor Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker on the set of Star Wars: Episode IV
'He's pulling the fire alarm on the Star Wars franchise,' one person said, while another asked if Bowman would activate the alarm in a movie theater if the next protagonist is white.
A former public school founder and principal, Bowman served as US representative for a NY congressional district covering part of the northern Bronx since January 2021.
He is known for being a member of the Squad - an informal group of far-left members of the House Democratic Caucus founded by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and others in recent years.
In June, he became the first member of the squad to get ousted from Congress following a crushing defeat in the New York primary.
Support from AOC couldn't save Bowman as his opponent George Latimer, 70, secured a convincing victory.
The contest in New York's 16th Congressional District was the most expensive primary in history - with the powerful American Israel Public Affairs Committee pouring $15million into a campaign against Bowman.
Bowman's comments sparked fury online, with X users branding him 'racist' and 'a clown', while pointing out that black actors including Samuel L Jackson and John Boyega had played leading roles in the Star Wars movies
Democrat Rep. Jamal Bowman says claims he purposefully pulled a fire alarm to disrupt House Republicans as they debated a stopgap bill to avert a government shutdown are 'BS'
Latimer speaks to his supporters after securing victory in the New York 16th Congressional District primary
Bowman was targeted for his anti-Israel views and his strong support for Palestinians in the wake of the Hamas October 7 terrorist attacks.
He was one of the first to demand a ceasefire and has flirted with conspiracies about Israel, prompting some within his own party to accuse him of anti-Semitism.
Voters also didn't forget him pleading guilty to one misdemeanor over his fire alarm stunt in the Cannon House Office building.
He appeared in DC Superior Court for arraignment one day after being criminally charged for the Capitol Hill incident.
Under an agreement with prosecutors, Bowman was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and write an apology to Capitol Police.
Latimer went on to defeat Republican Miriam Flisser in the general election for US House New York District 16 on November 5, and he will take Bowman's seat when the new Donald Trump administration takes over on January 20.
