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Hot Topic CARLTON SUPPORTERS ONLY - Carlton fires Captain Carlton

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This thread is for the discussion of the sacking of a club mascot after refusing to participate in a bar mitzvah which was allegedly sending money back to the IDF.

By taking this position and labelling the act racist, the club has taken a position on the Israel-Palestine conflict.

This thread concerns a discussion of the following:
  • whether it is acceptable for the club to fire someone for taking a political stance.
  • whether it is a good idea for the club to have taken a public position on this issue.

This thread is not a thread in which you should partake in expressing your political beliefs concerning the conflict, nor is it somewhere in which forum rules do not apply.

Should you seek to participate in conversation related to the war, you can do so here:

There's also a thread on the SRP for a more robust discussion than can be permitted here:


If you wish to participate in this thread, do so knowing that this will not be allowed to escalate beyond a point.

Thanks all!
 
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I think the Club was wrong in sacking the guy. If anything, they could have hauled him over the coals for using the language he did if what was reported is right. IMO, he has every right to object to performing at an event where fundraising for Israeli soldiers is also happening.

I have some Jewish friends, not one of them considers anti-Zionism to be anti-Semitic; there's an effort to make people think they are the same thing, they aren't. Criticism of Israel isn't criticism of Jews.
"****ing zio's" is not criticism of Israel
 
The evidence of what has been allowed to stand in this thread is all that I need to know.

You haven't seen what has been deleted. All 4 mods have spent a lot of time in here. If something shouldn't be here, report it. If your report is rejected, then and only then can you say that's all you need to know.
 

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I am married to a Jewish woman (non-Jewish myself) and when I attend a Jewish celebration or event I am aware that most people there would identify themselves as Zionists, or at least Israel-friendly, but the event/celebration etc has nothing to do with the State of Israel itself, therefore I see no problem attending. I also wouldn't attend an event that is explicitly pro-Israel, or fundraising for the IDF or other Israeli organisations.

I think that distinction is pretty clear, maybe not to others.
Most bar mitzvahs I've been too (and weddings for that matter) sing the Hatikvah after the Oz anthem. If you've been to a Synagogue to celebrate a wedding or bar mitzvah, they nearly all read out a prayer to Israel and the chayalim (soldiers). I'm not denying what you're saying, but it's hard to avoid any acknowledgement of Israel at a Jewish celebration (unless it's expressly anti-Zionist).
 
These are not my words. They come from a one day old Reddit account. I could see that they may have made a new account to get their story out but also it could be a troll or someone trying to muddy the water.

Without further ado direct from Reddit:
------------------

I'm the carlton mascot that left the bar mitzvah.

Hi my name is Cole, I'm the specific Carlton mascot that was in the newspapers for leaving a bar mitzvah.

I'm posting this to clarify.

This is the email I sent to my boss after I got home that night, & is what happened.

Hi [Boss], I left the bar mitzvah tonight before I performed as I found out the family were supporting Israel's military.
I will send back the $250 they sent me, and briefly explain why I left, to [the boys Dad], in an email tomorrow.
These are the events of what happened tonight if you'd like further explanation.

Events from tonight:
  • I arrived and got dressed
  • The event manager [name] told me I would be posing on stage at the end of speeches and then dance with the kids
  • I watched the speeches, hiding to not ruin the surprise

The mom and dad spoke about:
  • A relative that had flown down from Israel for this bar mitzvah
  • Israeli hostages that had been released back into Israel recently
  • Their pride in the country of Israel
  • And then a bit about their son being a good kid

I was uncomfortable when they spoke about their pride in Israel, but wanted to believe they meant the Israeli citizens and communities.

Their son then got up to speak about:
  • Being thankful for everyone at the party
  • And his support and admiration for specifically Israeli soldiers (the military responsible for the occupation and genocide in Palestine)

I then audibly gasped, but wasn't close enough to the attendees to be heard.
I asked someone in the band if the family of the boy were Zionists and he said he didn't know.

I listened for a bit longer and the kid kept expressing his support for Israeli soldiers, at which point I got up and tried looking for the event manager, but I could not find [them] so I packed the suit and left.

I chose not to express my objections as I thought it would reflect more on Carlton, than me, as a performer, challenging nationalist rhetoric.

I am sorry for the position this puts you in, but It's important to at least boycott Zionist business, if I cannot provide aid to palestinian victims in a more meaningful way.

Zionism is a political movement for establishing a Jewish nation in Palestine.
Israel's government and military believe this goal is worth the lives of more than 67 thousand Palestinians as of now. [edit: this number is only from the last 2 years]

All war is bad and sympathy for all veterans is valid, but the family made very clear their support for Israel's government and military, which is not something I can stand by.

I do appreciate you putting in the effort to organise this gig, and hope I communicated the importance of my decision to not perform at this specific event.

Thanks [Boss] :)


Extra info not in the email:

I forgot to say, when I was leaving, I ran past the doorman, and said "family emergency" because I panicked.

I was pretty sure they were talking about a fundraiser for the soldiers, but I didn't want to say that in the email, incase I misinterpreted where the money was going.

The point of me leaving was to show them it's not just business, and performers WILL refuse to work for anyone with bigoted, cruel, or wilfully ignorant beliefs (Zionism, Nazis, or any other superiority culture)

DON'T be anti-Semitic, but DO be anti-Zionist and anti-Nazi.

Stop taking pride in nations that are built on and/or perpetuated by genocide, propaganda, & erasure.

--------------------

For what it's worth, this post has been removed by the moderators on Reddit. Think it's probably safe to say it was some fanfiction and should be disregarded.

If old mate agro is correct in his conspiracy theories, I guess this post will get removed! 😂
 
Depends on how many pints I’ve had & if stairs are involved!

What you think you did

Gymnastics Flipping GIF by Olympics


Vs what you actually did

Olympics Breaking GIF by NoireSTEMinist
 

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Old thread now but the 'raising funds for the IDF is ridiculous. The IDF is the national Army of the state of Israel, its funded, like most national armies by the government of the country through taxes. The original article said they were raising money for wounded IDF soldiers probably meaning wounded veterans through some type of charity. I'm an Australian Army Vet and I donate money to Australian charities setup to look after our veterans, I'm also a member of my local RSL Sub-Branch; I assume they have the same type of organizations over in Israel. The narrative that this was raising money to finance the actual military is ridiculous.
 
Old thread now but the 'raising funds for the IDF is ridiculous. The IDF is the national Army of the state of Israel, its funded, like most national armies by the government of the country through taxes. The original article said they were raising money for wounded IDF soldiers probably meaning wounded veterans through some type of charity. I'm an Australian Army Vet and I donate money to Australian charities setup to look after our veterans, I'm also a member of my local RSL Sub-Branch; I assume they have the same type of organizations over in Israel. The narrative that this was raising money to finance the actual military is ridiculous.
I didn't notice that narrative, and I think the majority of us are quite aware that this was raising money for injured Israeli soldiers rather than fundraising for the IDF. I'm not sure that it would make a difference to anyone's objections, though.
 
I didn't notice that narrative, and I think the majority of us are quite aware that this was raising money for injured Israeli soldiers rather than fundraising for the IDF. I'm not sure that it would make a difference to anyone's objections, though.
There were a lot of posters assuming that it was funding the IDF even when it was pointed out to them then continued with that narrative.
 

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Hot Topic CARLTON SUPPORTERS ONLY - Carlton fires Captain Carlton

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