Enes Kanter Freedom looks back on his political awakening… and his conservative allies of the occasion | NBA

Enes Kanter Freedom plays little this season, but the pivot of the Celtics makes a lot of talk about him in the NBA. Through his shoes, his tweets and his interviews, he shakes up the Great League by seeking to shed light on the situation of the Uyghurs, a Muslim minority who has suffered very violent repression from China since 2009.

“It’s a crazy story because, last summer, I was organizing a basketball camp. All the kids were lined up and I took turns taking pictures with them. I took a picture with this kid and his parents called out to me in front of everyone: ‘What can you call yourself a human rights activist when your Muslim siblings are tortured and raped every day in concentration camps in China? ‘ I was in shock “, he explains in an interview with The New Yorker, about his awakening on the issue. “I turned around and said to them, ‘I promise you that I will come back to you.’ I started to really study the issue. I started with the Uyghurs, then it continued with Tibet, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Mongolia. It broke my heart. I figured that no matter the cost, I had to bring the matter to light. “

Enes Kanter Freedom, who recently changed his name by taking American nationality, assures us that he has received the support of his teammates in this desire. Since then, he has attacked the NBA, Nike, LeBron James, whom he accuses of being afraid of publicly criticizing the abuses of Xi Jinping’s regime.

The conservative right, funny ally of circumstance on China

The pivot says he is ready to “educate” the King on these questions, but is it not rather for those he criticizes the preservation of their economic interests in relation to the Chinese market?

“Deep in my heart, I hope they just don’t know enough about it. That’s what I want to think of them, because, if you know what’s going on, if you know what all these innocent people are going through in the concentration camps, if you know that every time you buy these shoes or whether you buy your T-shirt or advertise for companies there is blood, sweat and oppression all over it, and you are part of the problem anyway, then you are a hypocrite and it is disgusting. So in my heart I hope they are not educated enough about the situation. “

The intention of Enes Kanter Freedom therefore seems noble, but the New Yorker questions him about the method, which is not without hypocrisy either. Because to bring this subject to light, the Boston player is thus increasing his appearances on Fox News, with a speech that pleases the (ultra) American right-wing (ultra) conservative.

Recently, in the show of the very controversial Tucker Carlson, he had notably explained that the Americans who criticize the United States “Should just shut up and stop criticizing the greatest nation in the world and they should focus on, you know, their freedoms, their human rights and their democracy.” “

A speech that Enes Kanter Freedom tries to temper.

“Let me be clear for those who twist my words. What I meant was that, despite its many imperfections, America remains one of the greatest countries in the world. And many of my fellow Americans don’t understand how bad things can be elsewhere, because of a lack of perspective. I think if you are lucky enough to be born in this country, which people are trying to reach by unfortunately risking everything at the border, it is easy to see only the tree that hides the forest. I think it’s easy to obsess over America’s flaws, and even easier to forget about its many accomplishments and the hope it offers people all over the world. So when I say “shut up” I mean take a step back. I’m obviously not saying that we shouldn’t criticize the United States. Obviously there is racism in America and many other issues, but I’m saying at least it’s not Turkey. It is not Syria, Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, Belarus. So I think people should feel lucky and blessed to be in this situation. That’s what I meant by “shut up”. “

A “Shut Up” that goes wrong

But this “Shut Up” looked a lot like “Shut Up and Dribble” by Laura Ingraham, another Fox News presenter, the channel adoring to attack black American athletes who get involved in too much politics for her liking. Enes Kanter Freedom admits that he discussed this show with his teammates.

“I told them, ‘Look, my intention was never to criticize black athletes. It is not a question of color. I don’t care if you’re black, white, purple, green, whatever. Remember when all of the Black Lives Matter protests took place a year ago? I was there in my city. So yes, there are obviously big problems in America, and one of them is racism. It was certainly not my intention to criticize a black athlete. “

But the impression left by the basketball player’s campaign may seem surprising, he the new-naturalized Muslim who is dubbed by Mike Pompeo, Donald Trump’s Secretary of State, who had tried to limit Muslim immigration to the United States. Does he not see problems in this strange alliance with the conservative right?

“I have the feeling that people can change” he assures. “I have shown America once again how important immigrants are to this country. And I did have a conversation with Mr. Pompeo and many conversations with a lot of people in the Trump administration. I told them that this country has opened its arms and welcomed all these immigrants, and that these immigrants will make this country a better place. And it’s important for other countries to see America accepting so many immigrants as well. “

Sometimes, too, his provocations seem off the mark, for example when he blames Jeremy Lin “To have turned his back on his country” playing in China. The former Knicks point guard is the son of Taiwanese immigrants but was born in California, so which country is Enes Kanter Freedom talking about exactly?

– He was born in America but …
– So America would be his country.
– Yes, America is his country.
– OK, but you said he shouldn’t turn his back on Taiwan, even if he wasn’t born there?
– He is American of Taiwanese origin.
– But what were you trying to say?
– He plays basketball in China. It’s a shame that China is trying to put pressure on Taiwan, and how can an American of Taiwanese descent make money in China?