Kyrie Irving, the star point guard for the Brooklyn Nets basketball team, recently came under fire after he tweeted a link to an antisemitic film, “From Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America.”
The movie, which is based on a controversial book series, purports to prove that Black Americans are the true descendants of the ancient Israelites, claims that there is a global Jewish conspiracy, alleges that the Jews were partially responsible for the transatlantic slave trade and argues that the Jews falsified the history of the Holocaust in order to “protect their status and power.”
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In the hubbub that followed his incendiary tweet, Irving was called out by numerous media personalities, Jewish organizations and basketball players for posting such a blatantly antisemitic link, was suspended by his team for a minimum of five games and had his relationship with Nike terminated.
Ultimately, after initially claiming that he had done nothing wrong, Irving apologized for the pain and hurt that his tweet had caused.
While it is commendable that the media has paid serious attention to Kyrie Irving’s flirtation with antisemitism and Holocaust denial (see here, here and here), this is not the first time that Irving has controversially touched upon Jewish topics. However, unlike this instance, Irving’s previous controversial statements focused on Israel, as opposed to the Jewish people in general. Thus, they merited limited scrutiny by the mainstream media.
Related Reading: Hatred on the Field: Antisemitism in Sports
Kyrie Irving, Israel & the 2021 Hamas War
During the 2021 war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, when the Iran-backed terror group fired approximately 4,000 rockets at the Jewish state and killed 13 people, Kyrie Irving made a number of public statements that straddled the line between legitimate and illegitimate criticism of Israel.
During the early days of the war, Irving published an Instagram post that showed an image of armed Israeli police along with the text “Israeli Forces Fire on Palestinian Worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque.” In this post, Irving promoted the false narrative that Israeli forces entered one of Islam’s holiest sites when Palestinians were engaged in peaceful prayers, when in fact Israeli forces were required to enter the compound after Palestinian rioters had stockpiled makeshift weapons and engaged in violent confrontations with Israeli police. Thus, by sharing this misleading image, Irving took part in the vilification and delegitimization of Israel and its security forces.
Kyrie Irving needs to get an education before opining on the Middle East. Will the next post celebrate Hamas launching rockets at Jerusalem and at Holy Sites? pic.twitter.com/Sl0Hj32msK
— Sports Rabbi (@thesportsrabbi) May 10, 2021
Not long after this initial post, Kyrie Irving published a second post that read “Solidarity with Palestine – Live with a Palestinian Freedom Fighter.” The “Palestinian Freedom Fighter” was a reference to Linda Sarsour, the Palestinian-American activist who has supported former Palestinian terrorist Rasmea Odeh, has accused American Jews of dual loyalty and has claimed that Israel is based on a system of Jewish supremacy. By favorably advertising a talk given by Sarsour, Irving was effectively identifying with her odious viewpoints on the American-Jewish community and the Jewish state.
Related Reading: John Oliver Blames Israel for Hamas War Crimes
Perhaps the most famous statement made by Kyrie Irving during this period was as part of a press conference, in which he claimed that he could not concentrate on basketball because of what was happening in Gaza and other parts of the world.
Throughout the press conference, Irving made veiled references that seemed to focus negatively on Israel, the most blatant of which was his statement, “A community that stands with unity and liberation. Not just for one race or one religion because they justify it on these means or these grounds. You know, so much history to uncover. And most of it is just not told to us.”
While some media personalities criticized Irving for being unprofessional in his focus on international politics instead of the sport that he is paid to play, others (such as the sports editor for The Nation) openly supported Irving’s political stance.
Related Reading: Sportsmanship vs ‘Sportswashing’ During NBA Player’s Israel Visit
From the Gray Zone to the Red Zone
When Kyrie Irving made his statements about Israel during the 2021 Gaza War, he was inhabiting what has been termed the “gray zone” between legitimate criticism of Israel and antisemitism.
Although he did not rely on classic antisemitic tropes, Irving’s criticism of Israel did entail publishing misinformation that demonized the Jewish state, support for someone who has made antisemitic comments in the past and an inordinate focus on Israel as a source of injustice in the world.
Related Reading: Define It to Fight It: Adopt IHRA
For observers of modern-day antisemitism, Kyrie Irving’s progression from the “gray zone” of questionable criticism of Israel to the “red zone” of blatant antisemitism will not necessarily come as a surprise.
For the media, which was seemingly shocked by Irving’s linking to such a hateful film, this should be a learning experience: Just because a celebrity directs their animus toward the Jewish state instead of the Jewish people, it does not mean that their controversial statements should be ignored or disregarded. Because the line that separates questionable criticism of Israel from full-blown antisemitism is razor thin.
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