On Sunday’s broadcast of CNN’s “State of the Union,” anchor Jake Tapper called a pledge from the NBA, President Donald Trump, and the Walt Disney Company to never again allow a tragedy like the Holocaust to happen “meaningless.”
Tapper said, “Perhaps like so many Americans, you’ve been trying to find a way to spend some time with your family, your children, safely, engaged in some form of recreation. Education in a time of pandemic can be tough, and nothing is more clear about our government’s failure to protect us than the fact that for so many American kids, it’s considered unsafe to go into a classroom. The virus has not been contained. The widespread quick testing needed remains elusive. It’s a huge failure by President Trump on down.”
He continued, “So then maybe you seek this respite, and you describe to Disney Plus, the Disney streaming service, and you turn on their new live-action film ‘Mulan’ — fun, nice, family-friendly. Maybe you stay for the credit, and you see Disney thank the propaganda authorities of the ruling Chinese Communist Party in Xinjiang. That’s right not only did Disney film this movie ‘Mulan,’ in the epicenter where the U.S. State Department estimates the Chinese government has detained more than 2 million ethnic Uighurs and other Muslims minorities in internment camps, places China claims are for education and job training, but the U.S. government says they are subjecting Uighurs to torture and cruel and inhumane treatment. Not only did they film ‘Mulan’ there, Disney also thanks a local police department in their credits. A police department that was sanctioned by the U.S. government for its role in running these concentration camps. Now, Disney’s CFO says it’s standard to, quote, ‘acknowledge in the film’s credits the national and local governments that allowed you to film there,’ unquote. Really? How standard is it to film in an area where the local government has concentration camps and is being accused of genocide? I guess we should be happy no parts of “Fantasia” needed to be filmed in occupied Poland.”
Tapper added, “And look it’s not just Disney the star of the film went on Chinese social media and shared a Chinese state media image that expressed support for the police in Hong Kong for cracking down on pro-democracy protesters. That’s one person, the young actor. That’s not the big problem. The big problem is Disney thanking people accused of committing, again, genocide. Why? Money. So, who cares about the Concentration Camps, right? It’s an immoral position and one we’ve seen from the NBA, which was forced to cancel a training camp held in the same region of China. And, of course, sadly with President Trump who John Bolton writes in his book, told Chinese President Xi Jinping that China should continue building these concentration camps for the mass detention of Uighurs Muslims because President Trump though that quote ‘was exactly the right thing to do,’ unquote.”
He concluded, “This summer two Uighur organizations lodged a complaint against the government of China at the International Criminal Court accusing the Chinese government of genocide, torture, and crimes against humanity. This is the government to whom the NBA is bowing, and President Trump is giving approval, and Disney is openly thanking. After a horrible genocide, the Holocaust, the world came together and pledged never again, never again. The NBA, President Trump and the Walt Disney Company, they’re making those words meaningless.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
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