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A Russian TikToker, Renata Ri, recently came under fire for racist comments. During an interview, she used a derogatory word for Black people. After the video went viral, she received significant backlash and criticism. However, she claimed that her words had been twisted and the translation was incorrect. This prompted more Russian people to come forward and shut down her lies. According to them, she did indeed use the slur for Black people. After that, she issued an apology for her statement.
Who is Renata Ri?
Since the popularity of social media platforms, anyone and everyone is getting a chance to be famous. It seems that it takes very little to become an overnight sensation on social media. Therefore, people will lack knowledge and research can also become celebrities. One such example is the Russian TikToker, Renata Ri. Originally from Russia, she is residing in the USA these days. At the mere age of 18, she has over 13 million followers on TikTok. Meanwhile, her videos have been viewed almost 10 million times. Renata Ri has 420 million likes on her TikTok videos.
Recently, one of her interviews went viral but for all the wrong reasons
For a Russian YouTube channel, Renata Ri said some controversial things. Although the interview was hour-long, some of the things she said did not sit well with people. To understand her Russian interview, people translated it. In the video, Renata Ri talked about her dating life and said:
“I traveled for a year. There were only ugly black men.”
Although the interview is seven months old, the video is gaining popularity.
After it gained attention, TikToker tried to deny the allegations but failed.
Many other TikTokers and YouTubers bashed Renata Ri and accused her of racism. At the same time, many people also criticized her for her words. In response to that, she denied the allegations and said:
“I would do a live to address this, but my English is not great and this is a sensitive topic so I wouldn’t want to say anything in an incorrect matter. Whoever translated this interview did a very poor job. In the Russian language with the proper context, I was saying that I was stranded in a foreign country surrounded by foreigners far from my home.”
However, many Russian-speaking TikTokers shut down her claims and confirmed that Renata Ri actually did use derogatory terms for Black people. According to one person, the term for Black people in Russian is “Negr/Negry.” However, this is not offensive, but Negra is, and that is what Renata Rio used. The TikToker said:
“The translation is correct. (I speak Russian) She said the n word instead of black men.”
In the end, Renata Ri had to apologize.
After the backlash, she came forward with an apology. In a TikTok video, Renata Ri read a written apology so that she does not get anything wrong. Her apology video got more than one million views within an hour. She said:
“I’m sorry for what I said and there is no excuse for it. I was being sarcastic in that interview the star says.”
At the same time, Renata Ri maintained that she did not use offensive words and explained that she was of Tatar ethnicity. Furthermore, she said:
“The clip going around was taken out of context. I know what it’s like to be hated for my nationality and I would never be racist towards anyone.”
While few still were not convinced, others accepted her apology. Hopefully, Renata Ri will learn from this incident and educate herself.
