Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving said on Saturday that the “anti-Semitic + label” attributed to him was “unjustified” and assured “to respect all religions”, after provoking controversy by relaying a film on Thursday considered anti-Semitic.
“The label of +anti-Semite+ that has been stuck on me is not justified and does not reflect the reality or the truth in which I live every day. I respect and want to learn from all walks of life and from all religions,” the 30-year-old wrote on his Twitter account on Saturday.
“I am an OMNIST (note: someone who recognizes and respects all religions or the absence of religion) and I did not want to disrespect anyone’s religious beliefs,” added the Nets leader.
Before playing and losing with the Nets against the Mavericks on Thursday, the star tweeted and posted on Instagram a link to Amazon’s site where “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America” (“H2N”) can be rented or purchased. ), causing an uproar on the web.
The film, directed by Ronald Dalton Jr, is adapted from a 2015 book of the same name, in which it is written, for example, that “many famous high-ranking Jews” have “admitted” to having “worshipped Satan or Lucifer”.
This work also quotes passages from the anti-Semitic publication “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion” and refers to the “Jew-controlled news media”.
The Brooklyn Nets had “strongly” condemned the dissemination of this message by their player, while club owner Joe Tsai had deplored the situation on his Twitter account.
In addition to his Twitter update on Saturday, Irving railed against a reporter after the Nets lost to Indiana (125-116) when the latter suggested he was promoting the film: ” Please stop calling it a promotion”, reacted Irving before adding “Let’s move on (…) “Don’t dehumanize me here.”
Nets coach Steve Nash said the club has spoken to Irving. “Clearly, I think we all stand for values of inclusion and equality, and we condemn hate speech.”
