National Basketball Association (NBA) player Enes Kanter, 29, a professional basketball player with United States Boston Celtics, has publicly criticised Chinese President Xi Jinping, calling him a “brutal dictator” and has called on the Chinese government to “Free Tibet” which, he says in a video message shared on social media, “belongs to Tibetans”. He spoke after meeting Tibetan community members in New York. China has reacted, saying his remarks “were not worth refuting”.
In the video, Kanter was seen wearing a T-shirt with a picture of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and saying “Did you know that simply owning a photo of the Dalai Lama in Tibet is a ground for arrest. Even flying the Tibetan national flag could get you arrested.” He later posted on his social media platforms photos of shoes painted with the Tibetan flag, “Free Tibet” and an image of a man in flames – a symbol of the self-immolation protests that have taken place in Tibet over the last 12 years. “More than 150 Tibetan people have burned themselves alive! – hoping that such an act would raise more awareness about Tibet. I stand with my Tibetan brothers and sisters, and I support their call for freedom,” he wrote.
The following day,Chinese tech giant Tencent said it would stop streaming Celtics games in China following Kanter’s public message. The Boston Celtic star slammed the Chinese President calling him a“heartless dictator of China” over China’s treatment of the Muslim minority Uyghur people living in East Turkestan [Ch: Xinjiang].
“The Chinese government has sent Uyghurs, along with Kazakhs, Tajiks and other Muslim groups to concentration camps for…anything that does not align with the Chinese Communist Party’s agenda…. It is so disappointing that the governments and leaders of Muslim-majority countries are staying silent while my Muslim brothers and sisters are getting killed, raped and tortured,” said Kanter in his video message.
Also posted on social media platforms were “Free Uyghur” shoes and T-shirts sporting messages including “I am calling you out in front of the whole world. Close down the SLAVE labour camps and free the UYGHUR people! Stop the GENOCIDE, now!” In his video, he calls on Muslim leaders and athletes around the world to join him and speak up against the genocide of the Uyghur people of north western China, “It’s shameful and sad how you have decided to prioritise money and business with China over human rights”.
In a video posted on October 25, the NBA star called out Nike – the international shoe brand – saying that they are keeping silent on the oppression and forced labour inflicted on the Uygur population; this is reportedly associated with manufacturing products for various companies in the US. He said, “You do not say a word about oppression of minorities in China. You are scared to speak up. Who makes your shoes in China? Do you even know? There are so many forced labour factories in China. Uyghur forced labour, modern day slavery”. Footwearnews.com quotes Nike’s response saying they do “not source products from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR)” and their Codes of Conduct and Leadership Standards “prohibit forced or indentured labour”, and that they have found “no evidence of Uyghur or other ethnic minority from XUAR employment in its supply chain”.
Continuing his pro-democracy activism, Kanter also tweeted a photo of “Free China” games shoes with the written message, “XI JINPING and the Chinese Communist Party, someone has to teach you a lesson, I will NEVER apologise for speaking the truth. You can NOT buy me. You can NOT scare me. You can NOT silence me. Bring it on!!”
Enes Kanter was born in Switzerland to Turkish parents; he was brought up in Turkey and has a history of activism, speaking out against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. In 2017, the Turkish government revoked his passport, he has not returned to Turkey for many years and has lost contact with his family.
“I think the NBA gives me a big platform, and so that’s why I’m trying to be a voice for all those innocent people who don’t have one,” said Kanter, as quoted by a report published in Vox.com in 2019, referring to his pro-democracy activism when he criticised his native President.
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