A viral video of a beloved, internet-famous Black pianist being berated by a bystander as he’s playing a public piano drew an immense outpouring of support online for the performer.
Camden Stewart, a London-based composer and classical pianist, often posts popular videos of his street performances that attract and impress social media users from all around the world.
One recent video Stewart titled, “did not expect this today,” showed one of his performances being interrupted by a spectator who hurled insults and profanities while Stewart filmed himself playing a public piano.
In the three-minute video, the heckling begins while Stewart is in the middle of his performance.
“Can you let someone else play, please?” a man is heard yelling off-camera.
An unfazed Stewart continues playing and seconds later, the same man is heard yelling, “F— you!”
When Stewart finally finishes the performance which draws applause and compliments from several other spectators, the heckler continues yelling at Stewart.
“Can you let someone else play, please? You’ve been playing for ages. It’s a public piano,” the man states. Still unmoved, Stewart never responds or looks in the man’s direction and the man launches into another set of vitriolic remarks.
“You’re a f—ing c—!” the man shouts. “F— you. Hope you die.”
As Stewart rises from the piano and walks away with his phone, a different spectator is seen approaching him to pay his compliments before the video ends.
The video drew more than one million views on Facebook and thousands of comments from viewers who praised Stewart’s composure and condemned the man’s behavior. Many thought the conduct of the heckler, who is white, was a product of jealousy and racism.
“Keep making beautiful music!!!!! He’s upset because he has no life goals and jealous that a young talented black man has all the attention, treat him like the child he is and ignore,” one viewer wrote.
“People who act this way and spew this much hatred are mad at themselves because they realize that they will never be as great as the people they attempt to destroy,” someone else said. “They lack the talent, compassion, and education required to be considered a decent human being.”
“I also think (Stewart) should hire security because bigots hate to see us shine when we don’t fit in their stereotype view of us,” another person wrote.
Stewart, who regularly posts videos of his performances and collaborations with other singers and pianists, boasts more than 800,000 followers on Instagram and nearly 600,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel.
