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Gina Carano: Star Wars Mandalorian Cara Dune actor sacked

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Gina-Carano-The-Mandalorian.Image source, Lucasfilm/Disney

Gina Carano, who plays Cara Dune in The Mandalorian won't be appearing in Star Wars again.

The actor shared a post on social media that compared being a Donald Trump supporter to the experience of Jewish people under Nazi rule during World War Two.

It resulted in the hash-tag #FireGinaCarano to trend on twitter.

Disney decided to take action and a spokesperson for Lucasfilm, who make the Mandalorian, said that Carano is no longer employed by the company with "no plans for her to be in the future" either.

More Mandalorian:

For several months Carano has spoken out in support of President Donald Trump and his Republican party, it's seen her clash with fans who don't agree with her opinions.

The controversial post shared on her instagram stories said: "History is edited, most people today don't realise that to get to the point where Nazi soldiers could easily round up thousands of Jews, the government first made their own neighbours hate them simply for being Jews. How is that any different from hating someone for their political views?"

Millions of Jewish people and other minorities were killed at the hands of the Nazis during the Holocaust over 75 years ago.

Lucasfilm described the post - which has since been deleted - as "unacceptable".

Who is Gina Carano?

Image source, Lucasfilm

Gina Carano used to be a mixed-martial-arts (MMA) fighter.

In the Mandalorian, she played tough hero Cara Dune, a former-rebel shock-trooper from the planet of Alderaan - which was destroyed by the first Death Star.

Dune teams up with the Mandalorian during his mission to unite 'The Child' - a young force-user - with a Jedi Knight.

Gina Carano is not currently employed by Lucasfilm and there are no plans for her to be in the future.

— Statement, Lucasfilm

More controversial moments

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Gina Carano starred alongside Pedro Pascal in Lucasfilm's first live-action Star Wars series

As a franchise, Star Wars has had a reputation for being inclusive and fans have criticised Carano and her opinions, saying she is the opposite of the character she plays on screen.

There were earlier calls for her to be sacked after previous social media posts where she dismissed mask-wearing, trans pronouns and the US election result.

In November she put up several posts supporting Donald Trump's claims of election fraud.

The actor tweeted: "We need to clean up the election process so we are not left feeling the way we do today. Put laws in place that protect us against voter fraud."

But there has never been any evidence to support Donald Trump's accusations.

Image source, Gina Carano / Twitter

In September 2020, some fans had asked Carano to add pronouns such as 'she/her' to her Twitter bio after Mandalorian co-star Pedro Pascal had added 'he/him' on his profile. The use of pronouns is common among social media users, who support the trans community, to help avoid misgendering.

"Pedro & I spoke & he helped me understand why people were putting them in their bios. I didn't know before but I do now. I won't be putting them in my bio but good for all you who choose to. I stand against bullying, especially the most vulnerable & [support] freedom to choose," Carano said.

However, in response to demands, the actor eventually added the words "boop/bop/beep" to her bio.

"They're mad cuz I won't put pronouns in my bio to show my support for trans lives...

"After months of harassing me in every way. I decided to put 3 VERY controversial words in my bio. beep/bop/boop," she said adding "I'm not against trans lives at all."

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Following the events of 2020, which saw Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests around the world, Carano was asked to show her support for the movement. When she didn't post anything online, some on social media accused her of being racist.

She responded saying: "In my experience, screaming at someone that they are a racist when they are indeed NOT a racist & any post and/or research you do will show you those exact facts, then I'm sorry, these people are not 'educators.' They are cowards and bullies."

How are people reacting?

Image source, Lucasfilm/Disney
Image caption,

Carano's Mandalorian co-stars Carl Weathers and Pedro Pascal have posted about their own beliefs and some fans say she's been unfairly targeted

During the US election, issues that divide people in America were even more obvious. The opinions of Republicans (conservatives) and Democrats (liberals) are often very different and people on both sides disagree and can become angry or upset about other points of view.

Now some fans have accused Lucasfilm and Disney of choosing sides - especially when other actors in Star Wars, such as Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), John Boyega (Finn), and even Gina Carano's Mandalorian co-stars Carl Weathers and Pedro Pascal have posted about their own beliefs, whether it's support for Joe Biden or for Black Lives Matter.

After Lucasfilm's statement announcing Carano's sacking, some social media users unhappy with the decision, launched a campaign to boycott Disney+ - that means stop paying for Disney+ in order to make a protest or bring about a change.

The hash-tag #CancelDisneyPlus also started trending.

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Star Wars actor John Boyega at BLM protests in London

One user posted on twitter: "Gina Carano can't even share an opinion in defence of conservatives without Disney cracking down on it."

Another said: "If I shared what she did and my company found out I'd probably be sacked too."

Meanwhile one user said that while Carano was standing up for her opinions, the post was inappropriate: "I agree that her post was not ok. Although Conservatives are being actively discriminated against in the U.S. - it is not fair to compare it to the propaganda tactics of Nazi Germany," they said.