'Horrifically racist' Chris Lilley slammed after Elijah Doughty protest
Aussie comedian Chris Lilley has been branded “horrifically racist” and “insensitive” after posting a video about a person of colour being run over.
The Summer Heights High producer shared his 2012 music video “Squashed N***a” on Instagram, just hours after thousands descended on Melbourne’s CBD to protest the sentence given to the man accused of Aboriginal teenager Elijah Doughty's death.
Absolutely disgusting @ChrisLilley - don't even attempt to paint this as satire. This is straight up racist and timing is twist of knife 😡 pic.twitter.com/G3ZYOUOuql
— Natalie Cromb (@NatalieCromb) July 29, 2017
Doughty, who was just 14, was riding a motorcycle when he was ran over by a man in a ute who had been looking for two stolen bikes. A court this week cleared the man of manslaughter and handed down a three-year dangerous driving sentence.
Lilley’s parody song - which was first released in 2012 - features him in blackface and opens with the image of a boy lying splayed on the road after being hit by a truck.
Chris Lilley if your idea of 'comedy' is you being a horrifically racist and insensitive prick, it's absolutely terrible and wrong
— crinkle cut chips (@oldbiddyyelling) July 29, 2017
The song is six years old, he's legitimately used a little boy's death in an attempt to resurface his stale, redundant career
— Eliza Clark (@elizajclark) July 29, 2017
While the post has since been removed from Lilley’s public Instagram page, it’s continuing to anger many people of Twitter.
Indigenous rapper and media personality Adam Briggs was one of the first to call out Lilley, writing: "I know someone who follows me will have Chris Lilley in their contacts - tell him, from me; 'Chris, go f**k yourself you tactless gronk'".
First Nations mob still mourning a child run over by a white man. Take that on board when u tweet me asking y we're angry at Chris Lilley.
— Amy McQuire (@amymcquire) July 29, 2017
Chris Lilley can delete the posts, block people, delete the tweets, but he can't delete the immeasurable amount of hurt he has caused.
— Maria Lewis (@moviemazz) July 29, 2017
Protesters in Melbourne’s Swanston Street were heard chanting “Black Lives Matter” and “no justice, no peace” last night, while staging a sit-in.
Lilley appears to have taken down his Instagram and Twitter profiles. Be has contacted his management for comment.