Sorry to Bother You director Boots Riley has criticised BlacKkKlansman, saying Spike Lee’s new movie changed historical events to portray American police officers in a positive light.

Posting a three-page essay on Twitter, Riley – who initially found fame with the musical group The Coup – began by praising Lee’s craftsmanship and filmmaking prowess, before attacking the politically charged content of the movie.

BlacKkKlansman is based on the memoirs of Ron Stallworth, a former detective who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan in the seventies. In the movie, Stallworth (played by John David Washington) manages to prevent a bomb going off at a civil rights rally, making him a hero on the police force.

However, Riley claims the event – along with may other things depicted on screen – was created for the adaptation in order to ender the audience more towards the police. “It’s a made up story in which the false parts of it try to make a cop the protagonist in the fight against racial oppression,” he writes.

Riley’s alleges that Stallworth was part of COINTELPRO, a series of covert and often illegal operations conducted by the FBI to disrupt political organisations, and “infiltrated a Black radical organisation for three years” to ”sabotage” a group who stood against racist oppression. He argues that a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) proves this and that the operations Stallworth took part in worked against black causes.

“Without the made up stuff and with what we know of the actual history of police infiltration into radical groups, and how they infiltrated and directed White Supremacist organisations to attack those groups, Ron Stallworth is the villain,” Riley writes.

25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels Show all 25 1 /25 25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels 25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels The Meg Released: 10 August Director: Jon Turteltaub Cast: Jason Statham, Ruby Rose, Rainn Wilson After escaping an attack by what he claims was a 70-foot shark, Jonas Taylor must confront his fears to save those trapped in a sunken submersible. 25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels Skyscraper Released: 12 July Director: Rawson Marshall Thurber Cast: Dwayne Jonson, Neve Campbell, Chin Han FBI Hostage Rescue Team leader Will Sawyer is framed for setting fire to the tallest building in the world and must rescue his family who are trapped inside - at the top. 25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels First Reformed Released: 12 July Director: Paul Schrader Cast: Ethan Hawke, Amanda Seyfried, Cedric the Entertainer A priest of a small congregation in upstate New York grapples with mounting despair brought on by tragedy, worldly concerns and a tormented past. 25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels Disney's Christopher Robin Released: 17 August Director: Marc Forster Cast: Ewan McGregor, Hayley Atwell, Jim Cummings (voice) A working-class family man, Christopher Robin, encounters his childhood friend Winnie-the-Pooh, who helps him to rediscover the joys of life. 25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels The Happytime Murders Released: 17 August Director: Brian Henson Cast: Melissa McCarthy, Elizabeth Banks, Maya Rudolph When the puppet cast of an '80s children's TV show begins to get murdered one by one, a disgraced LAPD detective-turned-private eye puppet takes on the case. 25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels BlacKkKlansman Released: 24 August Director: Spike Lee Cast: John David Washington, Adam Driver, Topher Grace The film, produced by Get Out's Jordan Peele, is set in the early 70s and follows Washington's Ron Stallworth who, after becoming the first African-American detective on the Colorado Springs Police Department, sets out to infiltrate and expose the Ku Klux Klan while posing as a racist extremist. 25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels Mile 22 Released: 27 August Director: Peter Berg Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Lauren Cohan, John Malkovich An elite American intelligence officer, aided by a top-secret tactical command unit, tries to smuggle a mysterious police officer with sensitive information out of the country. 25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels The Miseducation of Cameron Post Released: 31 August Director: Desiree Akhavan Cast: Chloë Grace Moretz, John Gallagher Jr., Jennifer Ehle In 1993, a teenage girl is forced into a gay conversion therapy center by her conservative guardians. 25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels American Animals Released: 7 September Director: Bart Layton Cast: Evan Peters, Blake Jenner, Ann Dowd Four young men mistake their lives for a movie and attempt one of the most audacious heists in U.S. history. 25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels City of Lies Released: 7 September Director: Brad Furman Cast: Johnny Depp, Forest Whitaker, Rockmond Dunbar The film tells the story of American hero and former LAPD detective, Russell Poole as he works the 1997 murder cases of rappers Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. 25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels A Simple Favour Released: 21 September Director: Paul Feig Cast: Blake Lively, Linda Cardellini, Anna Kendrick A rare thriller from Bridesmaids director following a mummy vlogger who seeks to uncover the truth behind her best friend Emily's sudden disappearance from their small town. 25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels Fighting With My Family Released: 28 September Director: Stephen Merchant Cast: Florence Pugh, Lena Headey, Dwayne Johnson A former wrestler and his family make a living performing at small venues around the country while his kids dream of joining World Wrestling Entertainment. Lionsgate UK 25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels The House with a Clock in Its Walls Released: 28 September Director: Eli Roth Cast: Cate Blanchett, Jack Black, Kyle MacLachlan A young orphan named Lewis Barnavelt aids his magical uncle in locating a clock with the power to bring about the end of the world. 25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels A Star Is Born Released: 5 October Director: Bradley Cooper Cast: Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper, Sam Elliott A musician helps a young singer and actress find fame, even as age and alcoholism send his own career into a downward spiral. 25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels Venom Released: 5 October Director: Ruben Fleischer Cast: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed When Eddie Brock acquires the powers of a symbiote, he will have to release his alter-ego "Venom" to save his life. Sony 25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels Bad Times at the El Royale Released: 12 October Director: Drew Goddard Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Dakota Johnson, Nick Offerman Seven strangers, each with a secret to bury, meet at Lake Tahoe's El Royale, a rundown hotel with a dark past. Over the course of one fateful night, everyone will have a last shot at redemption - before everything goes to hell. 25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels First Man Released: 12 October Director: Damien Chazelle Cast: Ryan gosling, Claire Foy, Kyle Chandler A look at the life of the astronaut, Neil Armstrong, and the legendary space mission that led him to become the first man to walk on the Moon on July 20, 1969. 25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels Mowgli Released: 19 October Director: Andy Serkis Cast: Rohan Chand, Benedict Cumberbatch (voice), Cate Blanchett (voice) A human child raised by wolves must face off against a menacing tiger named Shere Khan, as well as his own origins in this live-action adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's novel. 25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels Bohemian Rhapsody Released: 24 October Director: Bryan Singer, Dexter Fletcher Cast: Rami Malek, Joseph Mazzello, Lucy Boynton A chronicle of the years leading up to Queen's legendary appearance at the Live Aid (1985) concert in 1985. 25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels Overlord Released: 25 October Director: Julius Avery Cast: Wyatt Russell, Iain De Caestecker, Pilou Asbæk The story of two American soldiers behind enemy lines on D Day that may or may not be another film set in JJ Abrams’ Cloverfield world. 25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels Widows Released: 9 November Director: Steve McQueen Cast: Viola Davis, Elizabeth Debicki, Liam Neeson Set in contemporary Chicago, amidst a time of turmoil, four women with nothing in common except a debt left behind by their dead husbands' criminal activities, take fate into their own hands, and conspire to forge a future on their own terms. 25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels White Man Rick Released: 7 December Director: Yann Demange Cast: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Matthew McConaughey, Eddie Marsan The story of teenager Richard Wershe Jr., who became an undercover informant for the FBI during the 1980s and was ultimately arrested for drug-trafficking and sentenced to life in prison. 25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels Mortal Engines Released: 14 December Director: Christian Rivers Cast: Hugo Weaving, Frankie Adams, Stephen Lang Many years after the "Sixty Minute War," cities survive a now desolate Earth by moving around on giant wheels attacking and devouring smaller towns to replenish their resources. 25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels Alita: Battle Angel Released: 26 December Director: Robert Rodriguez Cast: Rosa Salazar, Jennifer Connelly, Ed Skrein An action-packed story of one young woman's journey to discover the truth of who she is and her fight to change the world. 25 new films to look out for in 2018 that aren't sequels Holmes and Watson Released: 26 December Director: Etan Cohen Cast: Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Ralph Fiennes A humorous take on Arthur Conan Doyle's classic mysteries featuring Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson. Columbia/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock

“To the extent that people of colour deal with actual physical attacks and terrorising due to racism and racist doctrines — we deal with it mostly from the police on a day to day basis. And not just from White cops. From Black cops too. So for Spike to come out with a movie where a story points are fabricated in order make Black cop and his counterparts look like allies in the fight against racism is really disappointing, to put it very mildly.”

Riley finishes the essay by pointing out that Lee was allegedly paid $200,000 by the New York Police department to direct an advertising campaign to improve their image with minority communities.