Brooklyn Nets player Kyrie Irving continued his double down today by saying it’s not possible he could be antisemitic. “I can’t be antisemitic if I know where I came from,” he said repeatedly in a press conference. “I don’t know how the label becomes justified.”
Irving promoted an antisemitic film on his Twitter last week, which has since been denounced by Nets owner Joe Tsai and NBA Comissioner Adam Silver. Irving’s latest claim follows in Kanye West’s footsteps, sidestepping hateful rhetoric with confusing claims that such rhetoric is protected.
Earlier today, Silver said that he plans to meet with Irving over his concern that Irving hasn’t apologized or properly denounced “the vile and harmful content contained in the film he chose to publicize.”
Would love to see his reaction to name-calling, slurs, lies, incitement, incorrect statistics and skewering of historical facts against blacks, defending it by saying but we were the original and first documented slaves in Egypt, not the blacks, we can’t be racist if you just knew where we come from.
Fining him for his views does not make him or others respect Jews more. On the contrary, it focuses more attention on their beliefs and causes less respect for Jews. Wouldn’t it be better to teach him that he is wrong or make a film that disputes the claims in the controversial film?
Blacks were released from U.S. slavery in a less miraculous way than the real Jews. They did not leaveslavery with great wealth. They did not see their slave masters punished. Why did Hashem choose to do this? That is what black Americans want answered. We need Moshiach.
Mr. Irving, just like Lebron and Kanye, has the magic skin color so they can do what they want and you are not allowed to ever criticize them. If you do then you’re a racist.