Brooklyn Nets' Kyrie Irving promotes 'venomously antisemitic' movie leaving his team fuming
WARNING: This article contains information that some people may find upsetting. Discretion is advised.
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK : The 2018 movie 'Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America,' which has long been criticized for being loaded with antisemitic misinformation, was the subject of Kyrie Irving’s tweet and Instagram post on Thursday, October 28. The book and the movie emphasize that "Blacks have been told lies about their heritage" and claims to "uncovers the true identity of the Children of Israel."
Both collate ideas that are in line with "more extreme factions of the Black Hebrew Israelites, which have a long history of misogyny, homophobia, xenophobia, Islamophobia, and especially antisemitism," according to a Rolling Stone article. The allegations made in the book and movie also suggests "many notable high-ranking Jews" had "confessed to worship[ing] Satan or Lucifer," making Rolling Stone dub the works "venomously antisemitic."
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The book also includes a reference to the infamous antisemitic book 'The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.' The book claims a list of businesses that European Jews controlled, ranging from banking to book publishing, before concluding, "Using control of our money and the Mass Media, the European Jews achieved control of our thinking."
Ronald Dalton Jr helms the 2018 movie, which was adapted from his 2015 book. "Blacks have been told lies about their history since the European and Arab slave traders stepped foot in Africa," claims the book's description, while the movie purportedly delves into the identity of the "true children" of Israel.
Now, Irving has given the already-notorious movie more attention with his tweet. In response, according to ESPN, Brooklyn Nets said, "The Brooklyn Nets strongly oppose and have no tolerance for the propagation of any sort of hate speech. Our first course of action in these circumstances, in our opinion, should be frank conversation. We acknowledge the help received from the ADL (Anti-Defamation League), among others.” Nets owner, Joe Tsai, also tweeted, "I’m disappointed that Kyrie appears to support a film based on a book full of anti-semitic disinformation. I want to sit down and make sure he understands this is hurtful to all of us, and as a man of faith, it is wrong to promote hate based on race, ethnicity or religion.”
I’m disappointed that Kyrie appears to support a film based on a book full of anti-semitic disinformation. I want to sit down and make sure he understands this is hurtful to all of us, and as a man of faith, it is wrong to promote hate based on race, ethnicity or religion.
— Joe Tsai (@joetsai1999) October 29, 2022
This is merely the most recent instance of Irving dragging himself into yet another controversial subject. The Nets star posted a 2002 conspiracy video of Alex Jones criticizing the "New World Order" on his Instagram account in September. A significant portion of Irving's season with the squad was lost due to his reluctance about taking the Covid-19 vaccine in 2021, as per Rolling Stones. Earlier, in 2018, Irving, then a member of the Celtics, claimed the Earth to be flat before retracting his statement. Irving has not yet commented on his choice to promote both the book and the movie. At the time of publication, he had still not taken down the tweet promoting the film.
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