Official Black Lives Matter Account Posts Video Claiming “Right to Violence” Amid Outcry Over Ukrainian Refugee’s Murder in Charlotte
The conversation around violence, race, and justice has taken another sharp turn this week after the official Black Lives Matter account posted a video that quickly went viral. In the short clip, a woman, dressed in what appeared to be traditional African attire, delivered a fiery speech declaring, “I have a right to violence. All oppressed people have the rights of violence,” before likening the claim to a basic human need, comparing it to a “right to pee.” She stressed that violence must be exercised at the right place, at the right time, and with absolute conviction. The post ended with a call to “Watch full reel” and an invitation to follow @blklivesmatter, which has over 880,000 followers and a verified badge.
The timing of the video’s release has poured fuel on an already raw and emotional moment. Just days earlier, the death of Iryna Zarutska shocked Charlotte and much of the country. Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee who had come to the United States in hopes of safety and opportunity, was brutally stabbed multiple times while riding the Lynx Blue Line light rail. Witnesses described the attack as sudden and unprovoked. She died at the scene before help could arrive. Police arrested 34-year-old Decarlos Dejuan Brown Jr., a man with a long criminal history, and he now faces both state charges for first-degree murder and federal charges for committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system, a crime that could lead to life in prison or even the death penalty.
The video from Black Lives Matter does not explicitly mention Zarutska or the Charlotte incident, but many online viewers quickly linked the two, seeing it as an implied response to the case. Critics immediately condemned the message, with some calling for the movement to be classified as a terrorist organization. Replies to the post have been overwhelmingly negative, with users tagging the FBI, demanding federal action, and framing the message as dangerous. Others pointed to what they viewed as hypocrisy, noting how the group mobilizes when Black individuals are harmed but appeared to promote the idea of justified violence in the midst of outrage over the killing of a young white woman.
The official BLM account has not issued any clarification or statement about the video, and as of now the reel remains live, circulating widely across Instagram, X, and other platforms. Whether it was intended as a metaphorical reflection on the right of oppressed people to resist or as a direct response to current events, the impact has been immediate and explosive. At a time when Charlotte is still reeling from Zarutska’s death, and officials are increasing security on trains to prevent another tragedy, the video has deepened divisions and amplified the anger already boiling online.
This story is more than a viral clip. It is a reminder of how social media posts can escalate grief, outrage, and political fights in real time. A young woman’s life has been lost, a city is mourning, and now a national movement finds itself at the center of another storm, forced to confront the way its words are received in a moment of raw pain.
