Daisy Ridley Forced Off Instagram After Gun Violence Backlash

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Daisy Ridley, the star of the highly-successful Star Wars: The Force Awakens, has closed her Instagram account, following a post about the victims of the most recent batch of public shootings. Certainly, Daisy’s intention to sympathize with the families of those slain and to call for peace is clear, but, in publicly commenting on gun violence, Ms. Ridley opened the door for further debate on the issue of gun control. While many of the comments weren’t directed specifically at the Star Wars actress, some comments criticized Daisy for calling for an end to gun violence, when she plays a character in Star Wars, a violent science fiction franchise.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Star Daisy Ridley Closes Instagram Account, Keeps Facebook Active

As is usually the case, Daisy Ridley made a cross post between Instagram and Facebook, concerning gun violence and the victims of recent shootings, but only one account, Instagram, was canceled, reveals Vanity Fair. The Facebook account is still open and the Star Wars actress has yet to even delete the posting. At first glance, it seems reasonable to infer that comments made specifically to the Instagram post affected Daisy on a personal level to such a degree that she felt compelled to delete her entire account. It’s not surprising, therefore, to discover Ridley has taken similar actions on the Facebook posting.

Ridley’s post came after this year’s Teen Choice Awards and a segment in which victims’ families of the Orlando, Newtown, and San Bernardino shootings walked out on stage. Although the Vanity Fair article posted a link to Daisy Ridley’s Facebook post, that item also appears to have been removed. In part, Daisy wrote the following.

“Thinking about how lucky I am like… Serious bit: as I sat in the audience yesterday tears were streaming down my face at the tribute to those that have been lost to gun violence. I didn’t get a great picture of the incredible group that came on stage but they were so brave. It was a true moment of togetherness. We must ?#?stoptheviolence?”

Can Daisy Ridley Really Be Blamed For Stepping Back?

As that posting gained momentum, Ridley’s fans were among the first to comment on the issue of gun violence in the United States, but, as the comment section of Ridley’s posts devolved into a bitter debate over gun control, more criticism was directed at Daisy herself. As Daily Mail reports, the Star Wars actress found herself facing acts of cyberbullying over her message, which was essentially a message of peace.

“You have just lost a fan. With the utter lack of research, and an obvious zero knowledge on the subject, this is probably something you should not be talking about,” wrote one person.

From there, personal attacks on Daisy grew more venomous with critics of her post taking the opportunity to further slam the actress.

“Says the woman who kills people with guns in movies. Such hypocrisy in Hollywood. Just shut up, Ridley and make another Star Wars movie,” wrote another.

While the firestorm of comments seemed to chase Daisy away from the social media sites, Ms. Ridley re-activated her Instagram account shortly after de-activating it to clarify that she wasn’t being chased away by her haters. Instead, the Star Wars actress pointed to her busy filming schedule as the reason for her decision to take a step back from the online community.

“I just want to be on my phone less!” Ridley posted in her brief Instagram return. “Trying to be more present and all that and got a busy few months ahead so wanted less distractions…It’s all good! :)”

Before signing off, Ms. Ridley added one more thought, as though attempting to smooth things over with those fans who were not a part of the gun violence debate or personal bashing of the Star Wars actress.

“I always appreciate the support and love the Instagram community! X,” stated Daisy Ridley.

[Image by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]