Kanye West returned to Twitter this week after his account was temporarily suspended and his first eyebrow-raising tweet is a photo of Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving, who faced backlash last week for sharing a post about an antisemitic film.
West was suspended from Twitter and Instagram on Oct. 9 after he posted a tweet warning that he intended to go to “death con [sic] 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE.” He subsequently went on a tear against Jewish people in a number of interviews where he refused to back down from his remarks.
The Twitter suspension only lasted about a week. Early on Thursday morning, West posted a photo of NBA star Irving.
West’s tweet came only hours after the Nets player issued a joint statement with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in the wake of his own tweet that was blasted as antisemitic.
Irving came under fire for an October 27 post in which he referenced the 2018 film “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America.”
The film highlighted “the true identity of the Children of Israel” and “what Islam, Judaism, and Christianity has covered up for centuries in regards to the true biblical identity of the so-called ‘Negro’ in this movie packed with tons of research.”
The film also alleges that Arab slave traders and white people have lied to blacks about their “true” history as the real Israelites in order to keep black people enslaved. And its source material is a book filled with antisemitic tropes.
Irving initially defended his tweet and said he had no antisemitic intent in posting the link to the movie. He later deleted the tweet.
Ultimately, on Wednesday, Irving joined with the ADL for a major mea culpa and announced a million-dollar donation “to develop educational programming that is inclusive and will comprehensively combat all forms of antisemitism and bigotry,” Fox News reported.
“The events of the past week have sparked many emotions within the Nets organization, our Brooklyn community, and the nation,” Irving’s joint statement with the ADL continued. “The public discourse that followed has brought greater awareness to the challenges we face as society when it comes to combating hate and speech. We are ready to take on this challenge and we recognize that this is a unique moment to make a lasting impact.”
“I oppose all forms of hatred and oppression and stand strong with communities that are marginalized and impacted every day,” Irving added. “I am aware of the negative impact of my post towards the Jewish community, and I take responsibility.”
“I do not believe everything said in the documentary was true or reflects my morals and principles. I am a human being learning from all walks of life, and I intend to do so with an open mind and a willingness to listen. So, from my family and I, we meant no harm to any one group, race or religion of people and wish to only be a beacon of truth and light,” the 30-year-old player concluded.
Irving’s joint statement with the ADL came two days after he faced a phalanx of fans sitting in the front row at a game and wearing t-shirts reading “Fight Antisemitism.”
Meanwhile, Kanye West was suspended for a month from Instagram again on Oct. 29 for yet another post the social media site considered antisemitic.
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