Radio star Ray Hadley has slammed Sonny Bill Williams for supporting Hamas’ attack on Israel in a scathing tirade in which he told Channel Nine to sack the former NRL and rugby union star.
Hadley appeared on Ben Fordham’s 2GB show on Tuesday morning to comment on NSW Attorney-General Michael Daley’s ‘disgraceful’ response to a pro-Palestinian protest at the Sydney Opera House on Monday night.
Daley advised Sydneysiders to ‘calm down’ and ‘stay home’ after admitting they were unaware of the protest in an interview about the Fordham car crash on Tuesday morning.
Hadley condemned his stance before taking on Williams, who shared and liked a post saying the Hamas militants who attacked Israel should be called freedom fighters instead of terrorists.
Williams (pictured at the Islamic holy site, Kaaba, in the city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia) angered Hadley by sharing and liking a post about Hamas militants.
The former NRL and All Blacks star shared the post saying the people responsible for the shameful attacks on Israel should be recognized as freedom fighters.
He called the Opera House protesters ‘crazy’ before turning his sights on the former All Black, who works as a commentator for Nine Entertainment, owners of 2GB.
“There’s another madman I want to mention who is employed by this organization, Sonny Bill Williams,” Hadley began.
“Now, Sonny Bill Williams has re-tweeted something from another madman, and he says, so Ukrainian civilians who defend their families are freedom fighters, but Palestinians in Gaza who do the same are terrorists.
“Like I said, if brains were dynamite, Sonny Bill Williams wouldn’t blow his ears off.
“It’s embarrassing for me and other people associated with this broadcast network that he’s employed – and I think the CEO of the company needs to reconsider his employment prospects.
Hadley called on the head of Nine Entertainment – owners of his employer, Radio 2GB – to consider sacking Williams over his stance on the attacks
‘I think it’s a shame. We’ve attacked Jews, we’ve killed children, we’ve killed women, we’ve got a threat now from Hamas that if they invade Gaza they’ll cut off the heads of the hostages, and we’ve got crazy people like Sonny Bill Williams and Michael Daley, NSW Chief Justice , who perform as he does on your show this morning.
“I’m at a loss for words, Ben.”
Williams, who has been one of the best athletes of his generation in a checkered career in rugby league, rugby union and boxing, took to social media on Sunday to renew his support for the Palestinian cause.
He shared a post by US law professor, author and controversial columnist Khaled Beydoun that said: “So Ukrainian civilians who defend their families are ‘freedom fighters’… But Palestinians in Gaza who do the same are ‘terrorists ‘?”
Williams reposted the comment with 100 emojis to show his approval and the palms up emoji to represent prayer.
Sonny Bill works as a commentator for Channel Nine (pictured) – a job Hadley hopes will soon come to an end
The 2GB star was condemning the pro-Palestinian protest at the Sydney Opera House on Monday night (pictured) when he bumped into SBW
His post has had more than 15,000 likes, but not everyone agrees with his stance.
Sonny bill, you absolute clown of a boy! Helmet,” one commenter responded on X.
“They’re not doing anywhere near the same thing though,” said another.
“Over 250 troops at the Peace Music Festival. And you support it? Ukrainians are not attacking civilians. The Palestinians are,” said a third.
Williams, a devout Muslim, has sparked controversy in the past with some of his tweets, including retweeting divisive social media star Andrew Tate.
The Israel Defense Forces announced on October 9 that they had carried out more than 500 attacks on targets across the Gaza Strip overnight.
Palestinian officials said almost 500 people were killed, including 91 children, and more than 2,700 were injured.
The number of victims is expected to increase significantly.
With no sign of either side losing momentum, Israel declared a ‘total siege’ on Gaza, ensuring ‘no electricity, no food, no fuel’ for the 2.3 million people living in the Gaza Strip.
The country’s defense minister said earlier today: “We are fighting human animals and we act accordingly.”
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