The Olympic champion was quizzed by Off The Ball journalist Shane Hannon about now-deleted tweets that appeared to share anti-immigrant sentiments.
Irish boxer Kellie Harrington has issued a statement after receiving
backlash for failing to answer questions about a now-deleted social media
post that featured anti-immigration rhetoric. In an interview with Off The
Ball on Monday, March 27, Shane Hannon quizzed the LGBTQ+ sports star about
the tweets from last October, also asking her to clarify her current stance
on the issue.
Harrington responded to the journalist, saying: “I feel, right
now at the moment, that you’re trying to hang me out to dry. So, for that,
I’ll say, ‘Next question’.”
The Olympic champion refused to
answer any further queries on the matter, with a third party also
interrupting the conversation to say, “We’re here today for Spar and their
media event,” as Harrington was acting as an ambassador for the company.
With Hannon explaining that he was just doing his job, the boxer advised him
to “Let it go”.
Concluding the interview, Harrington commented: “I don’t know
what agenda you have, Shane, but it’s certainly not a good one. Over and
out, I’m done.”
Kellie Harrington discussed her deleted tweet on immigration on #OTBAM. pic.twitter.com/cerleODJNa
— Off The Ball (@offtheball) March 27, 2023
The Dubliner’s refusal to answer questions on immigration
ignited a wave of criticism online, with Harrington posting a statement in
response late last night.
“I did an interview today during which
I was caught off guard. I was not prepared for a question unrelated to sport
and my response to the question asked was not definitive,” she said.
“What I want to make clear is, throughout my life both in
boxing & outside boxing, I have been lucky enough to have had many
multicultural influences and this continues to shape me to this day…I have
seen some comments that I feel I should address and make my feelings and
thoughts clear. As a sportswomen I am proud to say I am all about community,
inclusion and diversity,” she added.
The boxer also commented on
the deleted post, which was a quote tweet of a news report from a British
outlet. In it, Political Commentator Eva Vlaardingerbroek spoke about a
12-year-old in France who had been reportedly murdered, claiming that young
girls were being “sacrificed on the altar of mass migration”.
Kellie shared this video alongside the caption: “Very very Sad.
A powerful message from Eva Vlaardingerbroak. Our own leaders need to take a
listen to this. She believes this is the 12th girl in France this year who
has been killed by an immigrant…and that’s just France.”
Addressing
this in Monday’s statement, Harrington said: “My thoughts in that moment
were of that young girl and not any political opinion.
“Having
realised the significance of my tweet and the hurt caused to a number of
people I immediately deleted the tweet. I engaged privately with a number of
people who were hurt by my tweet and I apologised to them.
“As a sporting role model, I am aware that I need to be mindful
of what I do and say. I reacted with my emotions and without the facts. How
this came across is not reflective of me as a person or my thoughts,” she
added.
A statement following my interview earlier with OTB pic.twitter.com/FGuO3w7Wwe
— Kellie Harrington (@Kelly64kg) March 27, 2023
This controversy surrounding the athlete comes at a time when
anti-immigration rhetoric in Ireland is escalating, with many far-right
groups holding hate-fueled demonstrations targeting refugee communities
across the country.
