Three of America’s most notorious SJW athletes are demanding the International Olympic Committee allow unlimited protests at the Tokyo Summer Olympics. Gwen Berry, Tommie Smith, John Carlos and 150 others signed a letter to the IOC claiming protest is a human right.
Berry (appearing in above photo) raised her fist in defiance of the U.S. at the 2019 Pan American Games, then turned her back on the flag during this year’s U.S. Olympic trials. Smith and Carlos raised their fists on the medal podium during the national anthem at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. Both were booted out of the Olympic village and sent home in disgrace.
Three weeks ago, the IOC amended its Rule 50 to allow protest prior to the start of Olympic competitions. A few women’s soccer teams (including the U.S.) knelt prior to the start of their games Tuesday. Disrespectful behavior during award ceremonies is prohibited.
The athletes, educators and activists who signed the letter to the IOC Thursday urged the IOC not to punish athletes for such demonstrations during award ceremonies and national anthems. They particularly identified kneeling and raising fists as behaviors that should go unpunished.
In their five-page letter to the IOC, the social justice warriors accused the Olympic governing body of opposing human rights.:
“We do not believe the changes made reflect a commitment to freedom of expression as a fundamental human right nor to racial and social justice in global sports.”
Itching for the right to unrestricted protest, the letter writers said the IOC “systemically targets athletes from minoritized communities, counteracts internationally-recognized commitments to freedom of speech, and violates key principles of Olympism, Olympic values, and Paralympic values, most notably those aimed at utilizing sport as a platform for the ‘harmonious development of humankind, with a view to promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity.’ ”
The SJWs say they agree with several councils calling for human rights and accused others of what they are doing themselves – politicizing human rights, in the U.S. and globally.
The letter also complains about the IOC’s survey finding that 70 percent of 3,500-plus athletes oppose protest.:
”The report provides no information on racial/ethnic demographics or insights into the research instrument used and steps taken to strengthen the validity and trustworthiness of the data.”
The letter is posted on the Muhammad Ali Center’s website and was also signed by his daughter Lalia Ali. Other signees were Race Imboden, who also protested the national anthem at the 2019 Pan Am Games, and numerous American university faculty members.
If the social justice warriors get their way, they could doom the IOC to the same fate that has befallen the NBA and NFL. Both organizations are now steeply embedded in radical activism and have turned off large swaths of their audiences.
