Media mogul Rupert Murdoch has sparked fury on Twitter by trying to defend the decision to cast white actors in the lead roles of Ridley Scott’s new film Exodus: Gods and Kings.
In a series of tweets, Murdoch said all Egyptians he knows are white and that they treated “blacks as slaves”.
The film, set to release on 26 December, is being ridiculed with #BoycottExodusMovie for its all-white cast.
Defending the decision, director Ridley Scott told films website Variety: “I can’t mount a film of this budget, where I have to rely on tax rebates in Spain, and say that my lead actor is Mohammad so-and-so from such-and-such. I’m just not going to get it financed. So the question doesn’t even come up.”
Take a look at Murdoch’s tweets:
Moses film attacked on Twitter for all white cast. Since when are Egyptians not white? All I know are.
— Rupert Murdoch (@rupertmurdoch) November 29, 2014
Everybody-attacks last tweet. Of course Egyptians are Middle Eastern, but far from black. They treated blacks as slaves.
— Rupert Murdoch (@rupertmurdoch) November 29, 2014
Okay, there are many shades of color. Nothing racist about that, so calm down!
— Rupert Murdoch (@rupertmurdoch) November 29, 2014
Murdoch’s tweets got a lot of angry responses, sample these ones below:
@rupertmurdochget out of here with your bullshit statements. For someone who runs the world’s media, you’re a rather ill-informed moron
— Omar X (@DecolonisedSoul) November 29, 2014
@rupertmurdochJesus Rupe, all that money and you know hee-haw about people.
— Amy (@scifisunsets) November 29, 2014
@rupertmurdochUh oh, did Uncle Rupie say something racist again? #RacistRupert
— Jeff Cormier (@jffcrmr) November 29, 2014
.@rupertmurdochAre you freaking kidding us???? Good grief, man. You calm down! Learn a little.
— Julie Gillis (@JulieGillisTX) November 29, 2014
This is obviously not the first time Murdoch has landed himself in hot water for his remarks. Back in 2012, he sent out a tweet wondering the “Jewish owned press” seemed “so consistently anti-Israel in every crisis.”
After, a volley of complaints, Murdoch apologised for his tweet.
“,Jewish owned press” have been sternly criticised, suggesting link to Jewish reporters. Don’t see this, but apologise unreservedly.
— Rupert Murdoch (@rupertmurdoch) November 18, 2012
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