After two ministry leaders called for the National Basketball Association to publicly condemn the communist Chinese government for its egregious human rights and civil liberties abuses, Disney is banning them from setting foot on every property it owns on the entire Earth.
Disney security and local police detained Rev. Patrick Mahoney, the director of the Christian Defense Coalition in Washington, D.C., and Rev. Kris Keating, who serves as president of Bright Mercy Ministries, for leading protests against the NBA during the playoffs at the checkpoint surrounding “The Bubble” at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Florida.
Soon after law enforcement officers issued the two ministers a citation for trespassing, Walt Disney officials handed the Christian men one of the most serious punishments the company can issue.
“Because of your protest, you are now banned from every Disney property worldwide – for life,” the Disney officials warned them, according to a press release issued by The Christian Defense Coalition.
Don’t ignore, but condemn China’s atrocities
Mahoney and Keating were bringing unwanted attention to the NBA – which had many lucrative deals with China – for refusing to denounce the nation’s atheistic regime that continues to brutalize its own people – including Christians and Muslims – while quashing the freedom of those living in Hong Kong.
“It is unconscionable the NBA had training at a facility in Xingjiang – the province where Chinese authorities brutalized, imprisoned and tortured over 1 million Uighur Muslims,” the release pointed out. “The Chinese Communist Party recently passed a national security law in Hong Kong which will imprison those seeking democracy and freedom, as well as bulldozing churches and persecuting Christians, jailing Falun Gong practitioners, crushing political dissidents, restricting freedom of the press and denying civil liberties … Yet not one NBA player or owner has publicly condemned the Chinese government for these abuses.”
Practice what you preach …
While the NBA was attempting to promote its image as being a champion of social justice during the playoffs, Keating felt it was about time that the public truly found out what the multi-billion-dollar sports association really stands for.
“I felt it important to demonstrate at the NBA playoffs in Orlando, Florida, because the NBA has failed to denounce China’s human rights abuses in China and in Hong Kong,” the minister expressed in the release. “Disney and the NBA are profiting from the cooperation with the Chinese government without regard or acknowledgement of the abuses that government continues to perpetuate against Hong Kong and ethnic minorities – including the Uighur people. The leadership and athletes of the NBA are in an important position to make a stand for the protection of basic human rights by openly denouncing China’s treatment of vulnerable people.”
Mahoney – who has been a vocal advocate of human rights in China and Hong Kong for many years – finds it hard to believe that the NBA continues to turn a blind eye to the unceasing brutalities in China.
“It is unconscionable the NBA – at one time – had a facility in Xingjiang, where Chinese authorities have brutalized, imprisoned and tortured over 1 million Uighur Muslims,” he impressed. “It is disgraceful the NBA continues their business and corporate ties with the Communist Party of China, who continually trample human rights and freedom for their own people.”
Mahoney pointed out how last year, the NBA denounced Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey’s comments against China as “regrettable” when he tweeted, “Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong.”
In addition, Lebron James – outspoken anti-Trump and pro-China star on the World Champion Los Angeles Lakers – condemned Morey for his Twitter post against China at the time, claiming he was “not educated on the situation.”
Mahoney says the stance of James and the NBA on the issue are altogether unacceptable and appalling.
“Sadly, the NBA never once said the Chinese government brutalizing the people of Hong Kong and crushing freedom and democracy were ‘regrettable,’ [and] the only thing ‘regrettable’ about Morey’s tweet, was the cowardice of NBA officials publicly refusing to speak out on human rights abuses in Hong Kong,” the leader of The Christian Defense Coalition insisted. “My recommendation for LeBron James is for him to talk with the heroic democracy protesters of Hong Kong and listen to their stories of persecution and violence so he can become ‘educated on the situation.’”
He ended by renewing his suggestion for the NBA to be the true social justice warrior it claims to be.
“We call upon the NBA to publicly condemn the human rights abuses by the Chinese government and commit to work as passionately for social justice in China as they are working for it here in America,” Mahoney concluded. “It is difficult to take the NBA’s commitment to justice seriously when they only show moral outrage on issues that are safe for them. I pray the NBA takes to heart the words of Dr. Martin L
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Copyright American Family News. Reprinted with permission.
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