05 February 2020
Newsdesk
Katy Perry is facing backlash after being appointed an ambassador for the British Asian Trust.
Prince Charles, who met the pop star at a Trust meeting in Mumbai, India in November, announced her new role, through which she'll help the organisation in its fight against child trafficking and slavery, on Tuesday.
However, some British Asians are unhappy about the appointment, complaining that she is acting as a "white saviour" and is neither British nor Asian.
Journalist Jasmine Dotiwala tweeted: "The most famous British Asian I know called me and said "WTF (what the f**k) we can't even get an invite to any British Asian events ever and then they get a white American?...it's colonised mind sets again. #whiteSaviour" Me. Uh huh. GTFOH (get the f**k out of here).
Another added: "This doesn't make sense. Why they couldn't find a British Asian or just Asian person is beyond me!!!"
However, others defended the star and praised her for using her profile to help those in need, like her fellow ambassador, BBC DJ Nihal Arthanayake, who hosted the announcement event.
He tweeted: "Last night I asked @katyperry onstage in a Q&A how people had said to me that her being an Ambassador was a bit 'random' She replied that she is passionate about combating the suffering of children and can do something about it. Amazing that she uses her platform.
"I hope those kids who have been saved from slavery in India are equally outraged when they discover a white person has helped raise the money that secured their freedom. (Are you now beginning to see how ridiculous this is?)"
