Daily London
Multiple celebrities have begun posting about the recent shootings in Minneapolis by federal agents that claimed the lives of two American citizens.
Alex Pretti and Renee Good were both fatally shot by federal agents involved in supposed round-ups of illegal immigrants, with White House officials immediately classing both deaths as the result of “self defence” against “domestic terrorists” and “assassins”.
Local authorities have proven more sceptical about the justified nature of the shootings, while video captured by bystanders at both scenes appear to show elements that contradict federal narratives.
Federal agents from ICE and Border Patrol have also been accused of other violent acts in the city, including toward citizenship holders.
Now, on the back of Pretti’s death after he approached agents, allegedly while in possession of a licensed firearm, Hollywood A-listers are speaking out.
Two celebrities known for speaking their values – The Last of Us star Pedro Pascal and singer Billie Eilish – were among the loudest.
Pascal shared multiple posts to his Instagram Sunday night drawing attention to the killing of both Pretti and Good.
Writing on Instagram, Pascal said: “Truth is a line of demarcation between a democratic government and an authoritarian regime. Mr Pretti and Renee Good are dead. The American people deserve to know what happened.” He also tagged the New York Times.
On Instagram, Eilish posted to her stories several times, including one calling Pretti “a real American hero”.
Eilish called out the overwhelming silence from many of America’s cultural luminaries, posting a selfie with the words: “hey my fellow celebrities u gonna speak up? or”
Actor Tessa Thompson, who has previously protested ICE, posted a message to her Instagram story saying “This is what service and protection looks like” along with a clip of media coverage.
By Monday morning, singer Katy Perry was urging her Instagram followers to write to their senators.
“I could not be prouder to be American right now, by the way the Americans are acting. And I could not be sadder to be American right now with the way the government is behaving,” Portman told Deadline.
Actor and comedian DL Hughley also posted to social media – though earlier than most, shortly after Good’s shooting.
”There is no living with this Trump magafascism. It must be removed from power before it commits even more horrific atrocities and forcibly shuts down any real possibility of resistance.”
Hughley also shared a quote from poet Langston Hughes which read, “Fascism is a new name for the terror black people have always faced in America.”
Elsewhere, actors Mark Ruffalo and Glenn Close, no strangers to speaking out, also condemned the violence by federal agents.
Prior to that he also shared a link to the video of Pretti being shot, writing: “Cold blooded murder in the streets of the USA by an occupying military gang, creating havoc. We have fought wars in other countries for less than this.”
Meanwhile, some Republicans in Congress are pushing for a deeper investigation into the shootings, and the White House has walked back some of its more flammatory rhetoric, but has warned protesters not to impede federal officers.
After weeks of sniping at each other, US President Donald Trump and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz actually spoke by phone, with both charactersing the conversation as positive.
Trump wrote in a social media post earlier Monday that the two “actually” seem to be on the same page in wanting to work together on immigration issues in Minnesota.
He said the people the administration is seeking “are any and all Criminals that they have in their possession” and Walz “very respectfully, understood that.”
Walz’s office released a statement saying the White House had agreed to look into either reducing the number of federal agents in Minnesota or working with the state “in a more coordinated fashion on immigration enforcement regarding violent criminals.”
With CNN and Associated Press.
NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.
