Author Bernardine Evaristo is among the public figures to have condemned Will Smith for hitting Chris Rock at the Oscars, saying the actor “resorted to violence instead of utilising the power of words”.
“Now we all have to worry about who wants to be the next Will Smith in comedy clubs and theaters.”
“Violence is never the answer to any problem-solving, as Will Smith admitted in that tearful, heart-wrenching apology,” the education secretary said.
US congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, who has also been open about stigma faced with alopecia, tweeted and deleted a defence of Smith.