Gold medalist Kellie Harrington has this evening released a statement clarifying her comments after she halted an interview after a conversation about a deleted tweet.
Harrington was performing some ambassadorial work with Spar on Monday when she was asked by Off The Ball journalist Shane Hannon about a tweet she deleted last year.
Harrington had quote tweeted a GB News tweet about the murder of a French school girl last October. GB News is a media agency that peddles in far-right, anti-immigrant rhetoric.
Harrington tweeted at the time:
Very, very sad. A powerful message from Eva Vlaardingerbroek. 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.”
Kellie Harrington deleted the tweet after some backlash, and added on Twiiter: 'don't need the hate post'
Kellie Harrington interview on deleted tweet
Today, she was asked about the tweet and her thoughts on diversity within inner city Dublin. The conversation about the tweet starts around 8 minutes in.
Harrington repeatedly ducked the question. Hannon stood his ground however, and it made for extremely awkward viewing.
Given the ongoing protests by the far right across the country against refugees this year, and the odious racism that young Irish teenagers recently had to endure on social media, it was a massive pity to see Harrington - an inspirational figure in the north east inner city of Dublin - shirk the opportunity to speak for unity and inclusion when given a number of opportunities.
Tonight she's released a statement explaining the circumstances behind the deleted tweet and clarifying her position towards multiculturalism.
What I want to make clear is, through my life in boxing & inside boxing, I have a been lucky to have had many multicultural influences and this continues to shape me to this day. That something shapes me as the person I am today something I am very grateful for. The people closest to me will attest to this.
Since the interview, I have seen some comments that I feel should address and make my feelings and thoughts clear. As a sportswoman, I am proud to say I am all about community, inclusion and diversity.
You can read the statement in full below.
A statement following my interview earlier with OTB pic.twitter.com/FGuO3w7Wwe
— Kellie Harrington (@Kelly64kg) March 27, 2023
