February 14, 2016
The B’nai B’rith Anti-Defamation Commission (ADC) has denounced the outrageous attacks on Spanish soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo on social media after he announced on his Twitter account that he has appeared in a new commercial for the Israeli communications company Hot and posted the ad. Some of the attacks on the Real Madrid player included comments such as: “You’re just on the wrong side of history… You’re so deceptive… The oppressed children of Gaza and Palestine will never forgive you for having sold your soul to Israel apartheid. What a disgrace,” “WTF Israel? MY Idol is Messi Now u are shit”, “I love Ronaldo but when I seen [sic] this video now I hate him”, “Due to tweets such as this, you lose a lot of supporters in Arab nations #free Palestine, you need to avoid supporting Israel,” “Lost respect for Ronaldo”.
Ronaldo has refused to pull his tweet.
The commercial can be viewed here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvZ31du3K08
Dr Dvir Abramovich, Chairman of the ADC, issued the following statement:
“The attacks on Cristiano Ronaldo are offensive, unfair and misguided. We commend him for doing the right thing and for not bowing to the bullying and vilification campaign that has been unleashed against him by anti-Israeli activists. The attempt to defame and malign any public figure who is in anyway associated with Israel is not new, and is part of the anti-Semitic BDS effort to undermine the Jewish state and to isolate it economically and politically. By viciously targeting celebrities such as Ronaldo and by singling out only Israel for blame and censure, these haters impede constructive dialogue and engagement between Israelis and Palestinians and harm the chances of peace. The ADC is proud to stand by Ronaldo and to wholeheartedly support his principled stance.”
For further information please contact Dr Dvir Abramovich on 9272 5677
The Anti-Defamation Commission, founded in 1979, is Australia’s leading organization fighting anti-Semitism and all forms of hatred through educational programs that combat bigotry, prejudice and racism.
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