PALiam Neeson has admitted to having ‘walked the streets with a cosh’ looking for a person he referred to as a ‘black b*stard’ so he could kill them.
The Taken star confessed this incident happened years ago after a friend of his was raped.
The 66-year-old Northern Irish actor admitted he is now ‘ashamed’ of the way he acted, describing his actions as being ‘awful behaviour’.
Neeson made these comments during an interview with The Independent, while promoting his new movie Cold Pursuit at a press junket.
As reported by The Independent, Neeson said:
She handled the situation of the rape in the most extraordinary way,
But my immediate reaction was I asked, did she know who it was? No. What colour were they? She said it was a black person.
I went up and down areas with a cosh, hoping I’d be… approached by somebody. I’m ashamed to say that, and I did it for maybe a week – hoping some [Neeson gestures air quotes with his fingers] ‘black b*stard’ would come out of a pub and have a go at me about something, you know? So that I could kill him.
PANeeson continued:
It was horrible, horrible, when I think back, that I did that.
And I’ve never admitted that, and I’m saying it to a journalist. God forbid […]
It’s awful. But I did learn a lesson from it, when I eventually thought, ‘What the f*ck are you doing’, you know?
I understand that need for revenge, but it just leads to more revenge, to more killing and more killing.
Yup so Liam Neeson is definitely cancelled.
— King K. (@Unkle_K) February 4, 2019
Would Liam Neeson have that same energy if the attacker was white?
— Reece
(@reecestweetz) February 4, 2019
Well, I've seen it all now. Liam Neeson admitted to going around trying to find a black person to kill because someone he was close to got raped by a black person, and the journalist spoke to a psychologist to help contextualise his racism and included it in the article? WILD.
— Elizabeth Pears (@BizPears) February 4, 2019
Speaking about the impact of on-screen violence, Neeson said:
I think audience members live to see that, They can kind of live vicariously through it. People say, ‘Yeah but violence in films makes people want to go out and kill people.’ I don’t believe that at all.
I think the average movie-goer thinks, ‘Yeah, punch him. Punch him.’ And they get a satisfaction out of seeing somebody else enact it, and they leave the theatre and they feel satiated in some way.
Oh, look, Liam Neeson’s tren— pic.twitter.com/ehN8wJ7Gmb
— MIKILL PANE (@MikillPane) February 4, 2019
In which Liam Neeson admits he looked for a black person to kill but then he got over it and thinks we’re all going to get over it too. https://t.co/Hf59nDrRUy
— Sophie Walker (@SophieRunning) February 4, 2019
The ease with which #LiamNeeson casually dropped that in an interview about his film is alarming.
The fact he went out to kill any Black man is shocking.
The ways in which Black lives are dehumanised threatened abused violated and perpetually unsafe is painful.
— Hodan Yusuf (@hyfreelance) February 4, 2019
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence contact the Rape Crisis England and Wales helpline on 0808 802 9999 (12-2:30 and 7-9:30). Alternatively you can contact Victim Support on 08 08 16 89 111.
Male Survivors Partnership is available to support adult male survivors of sexual abuse and rape. You can contact the organisation on its website or on its helpline – 0808 800 5005.
If you have a story you want to tell send it to UNILAD via stories@unilad.co.uk
Please share with loved ones. from http://bit.ly/2DSR2jc
