Boston Celtics’ Ennis Kanter is again pressing an attack on Chinese President Xi Jinping, calling him an “unsafe tyrant” who should not be allowed to host the 2022 Olympics.
“The Chinese government that has embraced genocide and the insecure tyrant behind all that XI JINPING should not be allowed to host the next Winter Olympics. Say NO to @Beijing2022!!” NBA Center chirp Saturday.
In his post, Kanter included four photos of blue sneakers with red paint dripping from the side, apparently resembling blood. The words “No Beijing 2022”, “Move the Games” and “No rights, no games” were written on the shoes.
Last week, Kanter posted a video calling Jinping a “brutal dictator” and expressing his support for Tibetan independence.
“I am here to add my voice and talk about what is happening in Tibet. Under the brutal rule of the Chinese government, the basic rights and freedoms of the Tibetan people do not exist,” Kanter said, wearing a T-shirt depicting the exiled spiritual leader of Tibet, the Dalai Lama. three times.
Tencent, which attracts half a billion viewers per season, as the NBA’s digital broadcast partner in China, has pulled the Celtics’ broadcast in the wake of Kanter’s suspension. The basketball player also appears to have been banned from searches on the Chinese social media platform Weibo. A Celtics fan on the site told his followers that he would not write anything about the team because “any behavior that would undermine the harmony of the nation and the dignity of the motherland, we are resolutely resisting!”
The National Basketball Association did not respond to a request for comment on Saturday.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin responded to Kanter’s comments in the video, saying the athlete was “trying to get attention”.
“We will never accept such attacks to discredit Tibet’s development and progress,” he said.
The outspoken athlete, who was born in Switzerland to Turkish parents and raised in Turkey, also criticized Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for what he and other activists have described as authoritarian policies. The Turkish government revoked Kanter’s passport and issued arrest warrants for him on charges including defamation and terrorism.
