NBA basketball player Enes Kanter openly criticized Nike in a tweet on Oct. 25 for not protesting against China’s injustices.
Kanter posted a three-minute video on Twitter calling out the athletic footwear manufacturing giant for its lack of global activism. While he acknowledged the fact that Nike takes initiative to address American-related injustices, Kanter specifically focused on the company’s lack of attention in drawing awareness to similar injustices experienced in China.
“Nike remains vocal about injustice here in America, but when it comes to China, Nike remains silent,” Kanter stated in the video.
He also included the hashtags #HypocriteNike and #EndUyghurForcedLabor in his tweet on Oct. 25. The hashtags began trending on Twitter, with hundreds of people following suit to further draw attention to Nike’s actions. Since initially releasing the video, Kanter received over 592,000 views, 39,000 likes, 10,000 retweets, and 1,300 quoted retweets.
Kanter further remarked that, “You [Nike] do not address police brutality in China. You do not speak about discrimination against the LGBTQ community. You did not say a word about the oppression of the minorities in China. You are scared to speak up.”
One day after his initial tweet, Kanter took to Instagram where he posted six images of white basketball sneakers reading “Made with slave labor. No more excuses. Hypocrite Nike. Modern day slaves.” The Boston Celtics center wore these sneakers during a game against the Charlotte Hornets on Oct. 24 to symbolize his anti-slavery sediments in opposition of Nike. He also called out Nike co-owner Phil Knight, tagging him in the post, suggesting that he would book plane tickets to China on behalf of him that way he [Knight] could “visit these SLAVE labor camps and you can see it with your own eyes.”
According to Sports Illustrated, Nike has not responded to Kanter’s social media comments. However, the company did release a statement earlier in the year claiming that it does not source products from the [Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region] and we have confirmed with our contract suppliers that they are not using textiles or spun yarn from the region.”
Regardless of Nike’s unresponsiveness, Kanter continues to use social media as a platform for activism against Chinese injustices, highly favoring the Uyghur minorities in the country. In most recent news, Kanter is advocating for the boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics due the the lack of human rights granted by Chinese authorities.
**Photo credits: Enes Kanter Twitter**
Kerri Hoover
Kerri Hoover is in her third year working on the Eagle Eye staff and currently serves as the President and Editor-in-Chief. As a Lock Haven University senior, she majors in Communication with a triple-concentration focus in Advertising & Public Relations, Electronic Media, and Journalism. With her versatile skill set, Kerri hopes to pursue a career working as a social media content creator, journalist, or video editor. On the rare occasion Kerri isn’t working in the newsroom, she can be found hanging out with her friends, working at the PUB, or creating content for the LHU Media and Journalism Department.
