[Beijing called it a “peaceful
liberation” that helped an impoverished region throw off a backward past. But
even today, some Tibetans wish for independence. Beijing has made a revolt all
but impossible, with heavy surveillance in the region and imprisonment for
those who advocate what the government calls “splittism.”]
The reaction was swift. The Chinese
video-streaming giant Tencent cut the live broadcast of Wednesday’s National
Basketball Association game between the Celtics and the New York Knicks. On
Thursday, Chinese social media was filled with angry fans calling for a
boycott.
The NBA has increasingly found
itself embroiled in political controversies in China, as Beijing
demands that foreign enterprises hew to China’s political positions to retain
access to the vast market. In 2019, Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl
Morey voiced support for Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters,
drawing fallout in China that continues even today for Morey’s new team, the
Philadelphia 76ers. The NBA and the Celtics did not immediately respond to
requests for comment.
[NBA
under fire from all directions after response to Rockets-China incident]
In a video posted on his Twitter account Wednesday, Kanter spoke
for more than two minutes in support of Tibetan independence, a stance that is
illegal in China.
“Brutal dictator of China, Xi
Jinping, I have a message for you and your henchmen,” he said in the video.
“Free Tibet, free Tibet, free Tibet.” He was wearing a T-shirt featuring an
image of the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader whom Beijing
considers a dangerous separatist.
China seized Tibet in 1950, ending
four decades of de facto independence for the mountainous region.
Beijing called it a “peaceful
liberation” that helped an impoverished region throw off a backward past. But
even today, some Tibetans wish for independence. Beijing has made a revolt all
but impossible, with heavy surveillance in the region and imprisonment for
those who advocate what the government calls “splittism.”
In the Tencent Sports app, upcoming
NBA games are marked for live broadcast, except the games for the Celtics and
76ers, which will be reported by text and photo.
Asked about Kanter’s remarks at a
news conference on Thursday, China Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin
called him “clout-chasing, trying to get attention with Tibet-related issues
“Tibet is part of China,” Wang
said. “We welcome unbiased friends upholding objectivity across the world to
Tibet. In the meanwhile, we never accept the attacks and smears on Tibet’s
development.”
Kanter has been politically active
for years, criticizing the government in Turkey, where he grew up, which
prompted Turkish authorities to seek his arrest. In a June opinion column for The
Washington Post, he wrote that in 2017, he had to flee Indonesia, where he
was holding a basketball camp for children, after his manager told him Turkish
intelligence agents had been sent to capture him.
He has become a familiar presence
on Capitol Hill, urging lawmakers to take measures to support human
rights in Turkey.
On Thursday, a Celtics China fan
account on Weibo with more than 600,000 followers posted on the Twitter-like
platform that it was suspending updates on the Celtics because of a certain NBA
player’s social media slights.
“From now on, the homepage will no
longer report any information about the Boston Celtics, and our Weibo will stop
updating!” read the post from the account, Celtics Weibo Express. “Resolutely
resist any behavior that undermines national harmony and the dignity of the
motherland!”
A sports blogger with more than 4
million Weibo followers, “Brother Qiang Says Stuff,” declared that there should
be zero tolerance for Kanter. Others called for a boycott of the NBA to teach
Kanter and others a lesson.
Kanter had planned to play
Wednesday’s game wearing a pair of sneakers emblazoned with the words “Free
Tibet” and an image of a man self-immolating, a desperate form of protest to which
Tibetans have sometimes resorted, said Badiucao, a prominent overseas Chinese political cartoonist
who painted the designs on the shoes. Kanter was not given the chance: Coaches
did not send him onto the court during Wednesday’s double-overtime contest.
[Beijing
is planning to host another Olympics. Clashes over human rights are back, too.]
Badiucao said Kanter had asked for
his help with his Tibet project.
“It surprised me, indeed, because
of the potential risks that Enes is taking for this project,” said Badiucao,
who uses a pen name to protect his identity. “To act and support people not
from your country, it’s a profound and rare character.”
Sports figures risk professional
consequences when they criticize China.
In October 2019, the NBA ended up
apologizing after Morey’s tweet in support of Hong Kong protests drew swift
business repercussions in China. In his response, Morey wrote that “those who
are upset will know that offending or misunderstanding them was not my
intention.” The NBA’s apology, in turn, infuriated some fans at home, who
thought the association should take a stand for free speech and human rights.
Later in 2019, Mesut Ozil, a star
soccer player for Arsenal, took to Instagram to blast China’s oppressive
policies on Muslims. Arsenal distanced itself from his comments, and Ozil was
erased from video games and Internet forums in China. He was later sidelined by the club, although the reason is
disputed.
Kanter’s video emerges as human
rights groups have been calling for a boycott of the Beijing 2022 Winter
Olympics, partly because of China’s treatment of some of its ethnic minorities.
On Monday, protesters unfurled
a Tibetan flag and a banner reading “no genocide” at the traditional Olympic
flame-lighting ceremony in Greece.
Read more:
NBA under fire from all directions after response to
Rockets-China incident
Arsenal star Mesut Özil draws China’s wrath after criticizing
treatment of Muslim Uyghurs
On Capitol Hill, officials line up to back Enes Kanter, NBA
player and political dissident
