Joe.My.God. LGBT News
CNN reports:
Several Chinese businesses are suspending ties with the Houston Rockets after the American basketball team’s general manager expressed support for Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests. Daryl Morey [photo] set off a firestorm in China over the weekend when he posted an image on Twitter that read, “Fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong.” Tensions between Hong Kong and Beijing, which controls the former British colony, have been fueled by months of political unrest.
The backlash triggered responses from the NBA and Morey. The NBA said Monday that it recognizes that Morey’s views “have deeply offended many of our friends and fans in China, which is regrettable.” “While Daryl has made it clear that his tweet does not represent the Rockets or the NBA, the values of the league support individuals educating themselves and sharing their views on matters important to them,” NBA Chief Communications Officer Mike Bass said in a statement, which was published on the Chinese social media website Weibo.
1/ I did not intend my tweet to cause any offense to Rockets fans and friends of mine in China. I was merely voicing one thought, based on one interpretation, of one complicated event. I have had a lot of opportunity since that tweet to hear and consider other perspectives.
— Daryl Morey (@dmorey) October 7, 2019
2/ I have always appreciated the significant support our Chinese fans and sponsors have provided and I would hope that those who are upset will know that offending or misunderstanding them was not my intention. My tweets are my own and in no way represent the Rockets or the NBA.
— Daryl Morey (@dmorey) October 7, 2019
China is using its economic power to silence critics—even those in the U.S.
The United States must lead with our values and speak out for pro-democracy protestors in Hong Kong, and not allow American citizens to be bullied by an authoritarian government. https://t.co/87U4jgsAAp
— Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) October 7, 2019
.@NBA is throwing the GM of @HoustonRockets under the bus to please the Communist Chinese Govt.
Disgusting.
They allow #China to punish a U.S. citizen for free speech in order to protect NBA’s market access in China.
Grotesquehttps://t.co/77lMHTGZyw
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) October 7, 2019
The NBA offers a formal statement kowtowing to China on Hong Kong.
I’m disgusted.
If you care about democracy, freedom, and American values, let the @NBA know how you feel. pic.twitter.com/5MxmlA83Ln
— ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) October 7, 2019
I have never seen politics Twitter more united than everyone shredding the NBA tonight for appeasing communist China
— Peter J. Hasson (@peterjhasson) October 7, 2019
There’s this bottom line about the bottom line: the NBA and its teams decided to do business in China, a Communist country with a less than stellar record on human rights. No surprise that a situation like the Morey one arose.
— Jeff Zillgitt (@JeffZillgitt) October 7, 2019