The death of George Floyd, a black man asphyxiated last week during a police check in the United States, has aroused much reaction in the sports community. Among them, Tony Yoka, gold medalist at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, violently condemned the arrest on his Twitter account. " No one will stand up for us. It is up to us to do the right thing. No matter what is said after this post, burn everything, screw everything. I will not go back on my word until we are considered as their fellows. Fuck I hate, "explained the boxer before deleting his tweet and returning to his words.
A few days after his message, which has been criticized in particular by some Internet users, the athlete returned on Wednesday to his remarks, calling for solidarity. “ I wrote this message at 6am after spending the night watching these videos (on the death of George Floyd). I had rage, hatred. (…) But after these few days, I realized that my voice was carrying, explains Yoka. I have never pointed the finger at the police because it takes courage to be there, but it is the system that must be changed ”. A text accompanied by the message "Let us be united".
Let's be united ✊ ✊ ✊ pic.twitter.com/ZICCkllZIf
- Tony YOKA (@TonyYoka) June 3, 2020"It breaks all the background work of educators"
Despite the deletion of his initial tweet, Raphaël Tronché, the former French heavyweight champion, violently attacked the 28-year-old boxer. " It is scandalous! This guy is a megaphone thanks to his media notoriety, but he uses it to deliver a hate message. By inciting young people to violence, it breaks all the background work of educators, volunteers and mediators (…) We fight to bring education and reflection into the cities. And behind, here is a fool who tells them to "screw everything", "he explains in an interview with L'Equipe . I do not like him. It's clear (…) This guy, I can't see him anymore. Or argue with him, "added Tronché.
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