Olympic champion Kellie Harrington has apologised for her controversial social media comments on immigration, months on from a tense radio interview on the subject.
Tokyo 2020 gold medallist Harrington made contentious remarks on immigration in October of 2022, when she reshared commentary from far-right Dutch commentator Eva Vlaardingerbroek on the shocking murder of a 12-year-old girl in France.
The girl was killed by an Algerian immigrant, and Vlaardingerbroek's commentary used incendiary language suggesting the tragic murder had taken place on the "altar of mass migration."
Harrington quoted the Tweet and said, "Our own leaders need to take a listen to this." Harrington's tweet on the matter has since been deleted.
The boxer was quizzed on her remarks on an appearance on 'Off the Ball' earlier this year. Harrington clashed with host Shane Hannon as he pressed her on her comments in March, with the Dublin fighter suggesting the presenter was "hanging her out to dry," and refusing to comment further on the matter.
After the backlash to the 'Off the Ball' incident, Harrington released a statement clarifying her remarks and, in an interview with the Irish Times this weekend, she has shared an apology for her earlier remarks on immigration.
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Kellie Harrington comments on controversial tweet
1 July 2023; Kellie Harrington of Ireland after winning her Women's 60kg final bout against Natalia Shadrina of Serbia at the Nowy Targ Arena during the European Games 2023 in Krakow, Poland. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
Kellie Harrington spoke to the Saturday edition of the Irish Times, and clarified her controversial comments on immigration from last year.
The lightweight Olympic champion said that she had not intended to hurt or upset anyone, and explained that she had not sufficiently thought through the implications of Vlaardingerbroek's comments before resharing them on Twitter.
Harrington went on to issue an apology for any offence caused and state that she believed Ireland was "for everybody":
In October, when I saw that tweet, I didn’t step back, breathe, and think. I just reacted. That’s what it was.
Every action has a reaction and my reaction was to repost that. And then that reaction got another reaction and I deleted it. I was genuinely sorry for the upset and hurt that I caused to people. And I'm still sorry.
I believe that Ireland is for everybody. It should be a place to feel safe and to feel welcome. And that’s regardless of your skin colour, your religion, your gender, your sexuality, or anything like that.
Kellie Harrington recently claimed gold once again for Ireland at July's European Games in Poland, ensuring her qualification for next summer's Olympic Games in Paris.
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