Stop Asian Hate rally: Man asks protester for her Instagram without realising it’s Rihanna
Rihanna went incognito at a Stop Asian Hate march to show solidarity with victims of anti-Asian hate crimes
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.On Monday, during a Stop Asian Hate march in New York City, a man who wanted to tag her in a photograph approached Rihanna to ask for her Instagram handle – not realising who he was talking to.
Without saying anything the Barbadian singer politely obliged – leaving her fellow protester visibly puzzled.
After looking at the account closely, the man turned back to the “Diamonds” singer to confirm in shock: “That’s you?!”
The singer – dressed in a mask and shades – burst out laughing. A clip of the exchange has since gone viral on social media.
Rihanna joined the protest largely incognito, blending in with the crowd and dancing to the tunes playing in the background. The founder of Fenty beauty was joined by her assistant Tina Truong who documented the day on her Instagram handle.
Hate crimes against Asian Americans have been on the rise recently, culminating in an incident last month where a gunman shot and killed eight people at three different massage parlours in Atlanta, Georgia. Out of those eight people, six were Asian women.
Read more:
Stop AAPI Hate, a coalition documenting anti-Asian discrimination, said in a statement at the time: “The reported shootings of multiple Asian American women today in Atlanta is an unspeakable tragedy—for the families of the victims first and foremost, but also for the Asian American community, which has been reeling from high levels of racist attacks over the course of the past year.
“This latest attack will only exacerbate the fear and pain that the Asian American community continues to endure.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments