Kyrie Irving, a player for the Brooklyn Nets in the NBA, assured this Saturday that "the anti-Semitic label" that is being given to him "does not reflect reality" and that he did not want to disrespect any religious faith, after promoting Friday a film with antisemitic content.
"I am an 'omnist' and I did not want to disrespect anyone's religious faith. The 'anti-Semite' label that is being given to me is not justified and does not reflect the reality in which I live on a daily basis. I accept and want to learn from everyone the ways of life and religions," Irving wrote on his Twitter account.
A day earlier, Irving had posted on his Twitter account, where he has 4.5 million followers, a link to the movie "Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America" (2018).
This promotion provoked harsh criticism from his team, the Brooklyn Nets, and also from the NBA. "Disappointed to see Kyrie appear to support a movie based on a book filled with anti-Semitic misinformation," Nets owner Joe Tsai wrote on Twitter. "I want to sit down with him and make sure he understands that this is painful for all of us and, as a man of faith, that it is wrong to promote hate based on race, ethnicity or religion," he added.
This same Saturday, the NBA stressed that "hate of all kinds is unacceptable and goes against the values of equality, inclusion and respect" of the league. "We believe that we all have a responsibility to make sure that some words or ideas, including anti-Semitic ones, are fought and rejected," he added.
Irving, a player who has caused controversy in the past for his refusal to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, posted an Amazon link to the movie "Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America" on Friday.
This film is based on a book of the same title published in 2015, which, according to Rolling Stone magazine, includes a multitude of anti-Semitic claims such as that "many famous Jews" have "admitted" that they pray to "Satan or Lucifer". In its Amazon description, the tape claims to "discover the true identity of the Children of Israel."
This new controversy over Irving comes a few days after Kanye West also received harsh criticism for anti-Semitic statements and racist provocations that led to brands like Adidas and Balenciaga breaking their contracts with the rapper.
