Azeem Rafiq

[Chippy_Tea]

If you are going to call out racists make sure your are squeaky clean -


Azeem Rafiq apologises over racist comments he made 11 years ago

"Azeem Rafiq has suffered terribly at the hands of racists in cricket so he will well understand the hurt this exchange will cause"

Apologetic racism whistle-blower Azeem Rafiq admits he is ashamed of anti-Semitic messages he sent to a former player more than a decade ago.

The former Yorkshire spinner, widely praised for highlighting racial discrimination in cricket, appeared before a parliamentary select committee this week to lift the lid on his own experience but has been forced to confront his own past shortcomings.

Ahead of a game-wide meeting due to take place at The Oval on Friday, an historic exchange with former Warwickshire and Leicestershire player Ateeq Javid in which Rafiq made offensive remarks was uncovered by The Times.

“I am ashamed of this exchange and have now deleted it so as not to cause further offence,” the 30-year-old wrote on Twitter.

“I was 19 at the time and I hope and believe I am a different person today. I am incredibly angry at myself and I apologise to the Jewish community and everyone who is rightly offended by this.

“At no point will I ever try and defend the indefensible. For those I have hurt I am sincerely sorry.

“I will continue to front up and own any more mistakes I have made.”

Former England batter Alex Hales, meanwhile, has admitted to painting his face black in a tribute to rapper Tupac Shakur at a party in 2009.

Hales said in a statement to The Sun: “In 2009, I attended a New Year’s Eve musical tribute fancy dress party. I dressed in tribute to my musical hero, Tupac Shakur, someone who I’ve admired from childhood and, at the time, did not realise the offensive nature of this.

“I echo my statement from earlier in the week and stress how much I deplore racism and discrimination in all its forms.”

Reacting to Rafiq’s comments, Board of Deputies of British Jews president Marie Van Der Zyl said he would be well aware of the upset his comments he will have caused.

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/azeem-rafiq-apologises-over-racist-22210577

 

[EsterBanana]

What goes around comes around .... I guess.

Two wrongs don't make a right though.

Pretty shameful all round really, but at least people are growing up a bit and starting to take responsibility for their words and actions.

I think it is especially important for sports personalities and other celebrities to set a good example, they get paid enough to behave decently.

 

[London]

People in glass houses.

 

[The Baron]

Do you know London you have taken the words out of my mouth

 

[EsterBanana]

People in glass houses.

Shouldn't throw cricket balls?

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Shouldn't throw cricket balls?

Or sweaty boxes

 

[DavidDetroit]

Nineteen is nineteen and it's not thirty. Of course whatever the guy said as a kid that was racist wasn't right and everyone is responsible for their actions but comparing the age groups is leaning toward apples and oranges.

I did some of the most reprehensible things at that age and some time afterward. There's a reason that auto insurance rates stay high here in the US until a man turns twenty-five.

 

[DavidDetroit]

If you are going to call out racists make sure your are squeaky clean -

That leads to Whataboutism, I think.
If I were a reformed pickpocket and went around saying that pickpocketing is wrong, I'd just get an earful of "What about what you did?" It wouldn't change the fact that pickpocketing is wrong.
If I were still pickpocketing, then I'd be a hypocrite.
Interesting subject.

 

[DavidDetroit]

My eyes aren't good enough to see cricket balls, even if I squint.

 

[Irishwizard]

My eyes aren't good enough to see cricket balls, even if I squint.

what nobody has mentioned, and David would have no idea about this, but not so long ago you couldn't play for Yorkshire unless you were born in the county. Of course Sir Geofrey didn't help matters, since hes a complete plank, but things moved on. Also Mr Monty has been giving his 3 penny worth in the press and he was adored at Sussex by the fans till he decided to URINATE on the police from the roof of a building. You couldn't make it up

 

[Class68driver]

When you actually look into cricket and the characters that inhabit that world its a very horrible place. Just today the Australian captain had to resign over lurid text messages sent to a colleague, numerous cheating/game fixing scandals. When you read some of what use to go on that has been shared by Flintoff, Pietersen and even further back Robin Smith it sounds like a complete den of utter horrid, self entitled dick heads. Cricket has a long way to go to recover from what seems endemic and we'll rooted in behaviour. It's that bad apparently the current England captain can't remember racial abuse that his pals handed out to others. As for Azeem Rafiq I feel sorry for him but you really can't go all out on others and then go oops when your own personal racist opinions are dug up. The whole thing is very very sad.

 

[An Ankoù]

Who gives a full toss? If they committed an offence, prosecute them. If you still don't like the flavour of what they're doing then Geoff Boycott them. But for heaven's sake, get this snivelling, chest-beating hypocrite out of our faces.
How we love to make a drama out of a felony!

 

[Irishwizard]

Remember when Tony Grieg (SA) said he would make the west Indies GROVEL - that went well, didn't it. I think he apologised afterwards.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

If I were a reformed pickpocket and went around saying that pickpocketing is wrong, I'd just get an earful of "What about what you did?" It wouldn't change the fact that pickpocketing is wrong.

I agree but if you were a well known pickpocket you probably wouldn't go on the news telling people pickpocketing is wrong.

If you are a racist its probably best to leave it to someone who isn't to call out racists on the news.

 

[DavidDetroit]

well known pickpocket

I would be well known most definitely as I try to do the best I can at any undertaking, legal or illegal.
Seriously, I was thinking of the possibility that someone could say something offhand (however bad, rude, inappropriate) but not be a defining characteristic.
I grew up around some of the most inappropriate kind of dialogue, reprehensible to be honest. In retrospect, I believe most all of that talk was more about plain ignorance than hate.
I might also just be naïve.

 

[An Ankoù]

I grew up around some of the most inappropriate kind of dialogue, reprehensible to be honest. In retrospect, I believe most all of that talk was more about plain ignorance than hate.
I might also just be naïve.

That's the way I feel. It wasn't right then, but it was the norm in many circles. It's not right now and it's not acceptable now so we've made progress. It's a bit like smoking: if you didn't smoke in the 60s and 70s you were looked at with mild suspicion- the same if you were vegetarian, attitudes have changed.

I spent my formative years abroad with loads of other foreign national immigrants, but I didn't know what racism was until I returned to the UK. So all these navel glazers and "virtue-gobs" make me cringe, really.

 

[Clint]

Some blatant Faginists out tonight...
I'm off to watch me Alf Garnet box set.

 

[An Ankoù]

Some blatant Faginists out tonight...
I'm off to watch me Alf Garnet box set.

silly old moo!

 

[DavidDetroit]

That's the way I feel. It wasn't right then, but it was the norm in many circles.

I'm glad what I grew up with didn't stick. It throws "nurture" in the toilet for sure.
Growing up a few miles from a city that was mostly African American, I surprisingly (or not) had very little contact with different ethnic groups. Only when I went to the race track with my dad did I see a black person.
A teacher once asked if I had a problem showing a new kid around the school (AA). A school nearby closed and we got an inflow of new students. To the question, I thought, Am I supposed to? I had no opinion either way.
Turns out it Tracy was a GIRL, not a boy, and that I did have a problem with at that age.

 

[user 41945]

People change over time, people do things in their youth that they wouldn't have done as adults, society changes, the company that people keep changes, people learn as they go through life. That's life. I don't have much time or respect for those who grub around to dig dirt in people's past.
Look at people as they are now, then we can move ahead.