Trevor Noah & Lesley Ann Brandt slam 'racist' mass shooting of Asians in America

SA-born, US-based stars Trevor Noah and Lesley Ann Brandt have both shared their shock and outrage at a mass shooting in Atlanta this week that left eight dead, including six Asian women.

21-year-old Robert Aaron Long allegedly targeted Asian women at a number of massage parlours in the city. According to the BBC, he faces multiple counts of murder as well as aggravated assault.  

It said the attack comes amid a sharp rise in crimes against Asian-Americans.

Trevor Noah took to the official Twitter account of The Daily Show to weigh in on the shooting and in a passionate monologue lambasted the shooter.

He also hit back at reports that Long had blamed his supposed sex addiction for the shooting.

“One of the first things that’s been the most frustrating for me is seeing the shooter say, ‘Oh, it wasn’t racism, it was sex addiction'. First of all, f**k you, man. You killed six Asian people. Specifically. You went there. If there’s anyone who’s racist, it’s a motherf**er who kills six Asian women. Your murders speak louder than your words.

“Even if the shooter says that — he thinks it has to do with his sex addiction — you can’t disconnect his violence from the racial stereotypes that people attach to Asian women. This guy blamed a specific race of people for his problems and then murdered them because of it. If that’s not racism then the word has no meaning.”

Lucifer star Lesley wrote a lengthy post, saying Asian Americans “are hurting, are afraid, are angry”.

She claimed the previous administration “gave permission to all cockroaches to come out and be loud”.

“Any hate and violence aimed at a minority is a blow to us all. Your racism isn’t patriotism. My condolences to the families affected by man’s racist heart. Stop Asian hate,” she wrote on Twitter.