Actress and activist Alyssa Milano refused to apologize for comparing the “Make America Great Again” hats worn by Covington Catholic students to Ku Klux Klan hoods.
Milano was blasted on social media following an inflammatory tweet about “Make America Great Again” hats over the weekend. The liberal activist likened the MAGA hats to the white hoods worn by members of the Ku Klux Klan by tweeting: “The red MAGA hat is the new white hood.”
The red MAGA hat is the new white hood.
Without white boys being able to empathize with other people, humanity will continue to destroy itself. #FirstThoughtsWhenIWakeUp
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) January 20, 2019
Milano was reacting to a recent edited clip showing one student, Nick Sandmann, standing still and smiling while a Native American man, Nathan Phillips, drummed and chanted in his face. The video unleashed a slew of news stories claiming that Sandmann and other students harassed Native American and anti-President Donald Trump activist Nathan Phillips, triggering a number of threats against the students.
However, hours of additional video footage that surfaced later debunked the narrative, and numerous media members and celebrities issued retractions and apologies.
Milano Criticized
Milano’s tweet soon garnered backlash. One user tweeted at her, “You should be sued for that statement. Or better yet, banned from Twitter!”
“Please get the whole story,” said another. “These kids did not start this.”
Another person tweeted, “Maybe don’t tweet the first thought that comes to you when you wake up if this is an example of them. This is not insightful, true, pithy or intelligent. Here’s an idea get off social media, think about this for another decade or two then tell us your thoughts.”
YouTuber Mark Dice added, “You would celebrate the mass murder of Trump supporters, wouldn’t you?”
You would celebrate the mass murder of Trump supporters, wouldn’t you?
— Mark Dice (@MarkDice) January 21, 2019
Despite the backlash, Milano refused to apologize and instead penned an op-ed for The Wrap, saying, “Here’s the thing: I was right.”
The other day I tweeted that the red MAGA hats are the new white hoods.
People were pissed!
People demanded an apology!
The media reported I was in “hot water” and was receiving “backlash” for saying this.
Well, here’s my op-ed addressing it all. https://t.co/pARWAmLwHU
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) January 24, 2019
She also added that, “Several of these boys were wearing red MAGA hats, a hat that has become synonymous with white nationalism and racism.”
“When I saw that video, I saw boys flaunting their entitlement and displaying toxic masculinity,” she wrote. “It seemed to me like they were reflecting the white nationalism and racism that the hats on their heads have come to represent.”
Users took to Twitter to question the activist’s stance. One user wrote, “You are politically dim,” and attached a photo of a group of Black people proudly wearing the MAGA hat.
You are politically dim pic.twitter.com/cmYX8JsQqt
— JMulderNeo (@MulderNeo) January 25, 2019
The actual facts of the story somehow seemed unimportant to Milano, who continued to refuse to apologize to the Covington students, including Nick Sandmann.
“So I won’t apologize to these boys. Or anyone who wears that hat,” she wrote.
“Everywhere these hateful acts occur, everywhere I see a Red Hat stop a person of color from thriving, everywhere I see a Red hat get between a woman and her body, a person needing asylum and the safety we can offer, a child and her parents—I’ll be there. I’ll be loud.”
She concluded with, “Sorry not sorry.”
