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'The Flash' star Hartley Sawyer fired over past racist tweets

The tweets, all from before he joined the series, make references to sexual assault and contain racist and homophobic language.

Actor Hartley Sawyer has been fired from popular show The Flash after a collection of racist and misogynistic past tweets by him started circulating online, leading to widespread backlash.

The tweets, all from before he joined series, make references to sexual assault and contain racist and homophobic language. Sawyer's Twitter account has been deleted, but screenshots of the old posts were circulating online over the past two weeks.

Through a statement, the network announced Sawyer's removal from the series, in which he has featured as Ralph Dibny since 2017, reports hollywoodreporter.com.

"Hartley Sawyer will not be returning for season seven of The Flash," read a statement from The CW, producers Warner Bros. TV and Berlanti Productions and executive producer Eric Wallace.

"In regards to Mr. Sawyer's posts on social media, we do not tolerate derogatory remarks that target any race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, or sexual orientation. Such remarks are antithetical to our values and police, which strive and evolve to promote a safe, inclusive and productive environment for our workforce," it added.

The news of his firing comes as the people in the US continue to protest against systemic racism in the wake of George Floyd's death in Minneapolis.

Showrunner Eric Wallace also tweeted: "This morning, many of you learned that Hartley Sawyer will not be returning for season seven of The Flash. Concerning his social media tweets, they broke my heart and made me mad as hell. And they're indicative of the larger problem in our country."