Sonny Bill Williams is accused of ‘incitement to hatred’ over anti-Israel posts on social media
Controversial ex-All Black Sonny Bill Williams has been accused by the Israel lobby of ‘incitement to hatred’ after another extraordinary social media post about Israel, describing Israel supporters as ‘Zionist cowards’.
The football superstar turned boxer shared with his 950,000 followers on
‘Wallahi (I swear to God) where is our Ummah (Muslim community)?’ He wrote.
“Where are the so-called men entrusted to stand up and fight for our voiceless – if these images are too horrifying for you, remember that these are the same people who DETHUMANIZE certain parts of the media, so you think that this genocide is justified.
“You Zionist cowards wouldn’t last a day fighting real men face to face. Allahu Akbar!!”
Sonny Bill Williams has been accused of inciting hatred with yet another controversial social media post about Israel
Williams described supporters of the state of Israel as ‘Zionist cowards’
Alex Ryvchin, co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, says the former footy star is using his platform to stir up hatred against fellow Australians and has offered to meet Williams “anywhere, anytime” to discuss the matter.
“His comments are reckless, dangerous and patently uninformed,” Ryvchin said News Corp.
“But to his many fans and followers, they will sound convincing and will serve to stir up hatred and further destabilize our fragile social cohesion.
“I’m sure Sonny Bill doesn’t want to do this and I would be willing to meet with him to discuss our perspectives and build bridges instead of making enemies.”
Williams, who converted to Islam in 2009, made headlines several weeks ago by sharing and liking a post saying that the Hamas militants who attacked Israel should be called freedom fighters instead of terrorists.
Radio star Ray Hadley slammed Williams for the post, insisting the former footy star’s comments were a “disgrace” and that he should be fired from his commentary job at Nine Entertainment.
On October 23, Williams launched a new attack on Israel, claiming that the Jewish state’s actions amounted to “genocide.”
Williams shared an excerpt from an interview with Ezra Yachin, a 95-year-old Israeli army reservist on X.
Alex Ryvchin, of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, offered to meet Williams
Mr Yachin claimed that Israel was not responsible for killing Palestinian women and children if Hamas used them as human shields.
An excerpt in the interview also showed him telling Israeli soldiers, “Erase them, their families, mother and children.”
Williams told his followers that “the propaganda machine behind which many of these cowards have hidden is slowly beginning to crumble.”
“It is our duty as a people to continue to educate ourselves on the plight of the Palestinians,” Williams wrote.
“It’s sad to see a coward actually kill innocent people and encourage him to do the same.
“But when you know that the majority of people he speaks to will fight behind the safety of closed doors by simply pushing buttons that kill innocents, it disgusts me.
“All atrocities throughout history have dehumanized the oppressed so that the oppression appears valid. Don’t be misled by the propaganda: this is not a war, this is a genocide.’
Williams, a devout Muslim, has sparked controversy in the past with some of his other tweets, including retweeting divisive social media star Andrew Tate.