Australian-American basketball player Kyrie Irving has made headlines for donning keffiyeh, a traditional Palestinian scarf, during a post-match press conference on Saturday.
The gesture was a demonstration of solidarity with Palestinians and denouncing the crimes committed by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip, which has been under siege for 45 days.
Irving did not remove the keffiyeh until the end of his conference speech.
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Earlier in a post on X, Irving wrote, “Where are all you tough talking Media Heads that get on TV and social platforms to condemn people who stand by the oppressed?”
“Crimes are being committed against humanity and most of you are silent. Cat got your tongue? Or youโre afraid of actually standing for something real,” he added.
Irving’s wearing of keffiyeh drew reactions on social media platforms, with some applauding his support, while others criticized him for being anti-Semitic.
Irving was suspended in November 2022 for sharing a link to “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America,” a 2018 film containing antisemitic tropes about Jewish people lying about their origins.
Irving also shared a screenshot of the film’s rental page on Amazon on Instagram, linking to Twitter, but did not provide a caption or comment.
