Cole Sprouse Arrested During Peaceful Protest! Read His Story!

Cole Sprouse is speaking up about his involvement in this weekend’s protests, and speaking out against injustice.

The Riverdale star was arrested alongside other protesters on Sunday during a demonstration in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. The protest was one of many that have broken out after the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and other racially motivated deaths at the hands of police across the country.

The 27-year-old took to Instagram to describe the circumstances of his arrest and his involvement with the protest. He wrote:

“A group of peaceful protesters, myself included, were arrested yesterday in Santa Monica. So before the voracious horde of media sensationalism decides to somehow turn it about me, there’s a clear need to speak about the circumstances: Black Lives Matter. Peace, riots, looting, are an absolutely legitimate form of protest. the media is by nature only going to show the most sensational, which only proves a long standing racist agenda. I was detained when standing in solidarity, as were many of the final vanguard within Santa Monica. We were given the option to leave, and were informed that if we did not retreat, we would be arrested. When many did turn to leave, we found another line of police officers blocking our route, at which point, they started zip tying us.”

The actor, who is currently quarantining with co-star KJ Apa following his split from Lili Reinhart, went on to emphasize that stories about the demonstration should be about the movement, not celeb involvement. Acknowledging his extraordinary privilege, he said:

“It needs to be stated that as a straight white man, and a public figure, the institutional consequences of my detainment are nothing in comparison to others within the movement. This is ABSOLUTELY not a narrative about me, and I hope the media doesn’t make it such. This is, and will be, a time about standing ground near others as a situation escalates, providing educated support, demonstrating and doing the right thing. This is precisely the time to contemplate what it means to stand as an ally. I hope others in my position do as well.”

While we understand his position, putting a face on what’s going on is a really helpful thing to do right now — especially when so many people are focusing more on the riots than the peaceful protests. And if peaceful protesters are being arrested, that’s just not OK, and people need to hear about it.

He concluded the post by reiterating his support for Black Lives Matter, writing:

“I noticed that there are cameras that roll within the police cruisers during the entirety of our detainment, hope it helps. I’ll speak no more on the subject, as I’m (1) not well versed enough to do so, (2) not the subject of the movement, and (3) uninterested in drawing attention away from the leaders of the #BLM movement. I will be, again, posting the link in my story to a comprehensive document for donations and support.”

Woke AF.

Kudos to Cole for standing up for his beliefs! We hope other celebs follow his lead.

[Image via WENN/Avalon]