“I am proud of myself for the inconvenience I caused, I do not regret it, and if I have the opportunity, I will do it again.”
Turkish Kungfu champion Necmettin Erbakan Akyuz, who raised the Palestinian flag at a European Championships contest, has said he does not regret his protest action.
The Wushu Kungfu Federation of Europe (WKFE) announced that it had launched an “internal investigation” into “political displays” that “were reported during the prize-giving ceremonies, reportedly initiated by individual members associated with the TWF.
Akyuz, who holds six championships in the martial art, displayed a Palestinian flag after being presented with the European Championship gold medal during the award ceremony. He also performed the Dabke, a traditional Palestinian dance on the podium.
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The championship event was held in Istanbul last December.
“I am proud of myself for the inconvenience I caused, I do not regret it, and if I have the opportunity, I will do it again,” Akyuz said in a statement on Instagram on Monday.
“You can give the penalty, take away my championships, I don’t care, I did it risking the end of my sports career.”
Values ‘Not Aligned’
The WFKE also said “Immediate measures were taken on-site, including personal meetings and official protests, to strongly contest these occurrences. Such actions do not align with our values and standards within the WKFE community.”
Ben Necmettin Erbakan Akyüz
Madalyaların en güzelini aldım
Mazlumların sesi olmak adına yaptığım hareketten dolayı Avrupa Federasyonu soruşturma açtı
Yaptıklarımdan dolayı pişman değilim, verilecek kararlarım nezdimde hiçbir kıymeti yoktur.
NEHİRDEN DENİZE ÖZGÜR FİLİSTİN 🇵🇸. pic.twitter.com/Jpo8yjEnP1
— Necmettin Erbakan Akyüz (@neakyuz) April 29, 2024
Akyuz said the federation had “no humanity, no conscience … no honor, no dignity.”
He also said on X: “The European Federation opened an investigation because of my action to be the voice of the oppressed. I do not regret what I have done…”
“Free Palestine from river to sea,” Akyuz stressed.
Gaza Genocide Continues
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 34,568 Palestinians have been killed, and 77,765 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Moreover, at least 7,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
🇹🇷🇵🇸 Turkish European Kung Fu champion Necmettin Erbakan Akyuz raises the Palestinian flag during his coronation in solidarity with Gaza pic.twitter.com/T2hu4n8GHC
— The Saviour (@stairwayto3dom) December 17, 2023
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
(PC, Anadolu)
It reminds me of Mohammed Ali being stripped of his heavyweight title for refusing the draft in 1967. A man of honor.