ATHENS, Greece (AP) - Triple jumper Voula Papachristou was kicked off Greece's Olympic team Wednesday for her comments on Twitter mocking African immigrants and expressing support for a far-right political party. Posted on 08/15/2012 2:40:03 PM PDT by mlizzy
ATHENS, Greece (AP) - Triple jumper Voula Papachristou was kicked off Greece's Olympic team Wednesday for her comments on Twitter mocking African immigrants and expressing support for a far-right political party.
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Papachristou's Twitter account ((at)papaxristoutj) contained several retweets and links to sites and YouTube videos promoting the views of Golden Dawn, a formerly marginal extreme right party that entered the Greek Parliament in two recent elections - in May and June - by polling almost 7 percent of the vote...
But it was her attempt at a joke Sunday that got the most attention. Commenting on the widely reported appearance of Nile-virus-carrying mosquitoes in Athens, Papachristou wrote: "With so many Africans in Greece, the West Nile mosquitoes will be getting home food!!!". Her tweet prompted thousands of negative comments that snowballed Wednesday.
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Papachristou, 23, also had her defenders. Her Bulgarian coach, Georgi Pomaski said that "she did something childish. ... I respect the decision, but it is a little harsh for a kid we are trying to educate," he said. Her sports club, AEK, also waded in, saying the exclusion from the Olympics for "a mistake" was hypocritical. "We will fight any attempt to exclude our athlete ... by all legal means," the club statement said.
(Excerpt) Read more at wjla.com ...
Used to be for something to be considered racist there had to be malicious or derogatory intent. The bar has definitely been lowered.
A guy lost his job a few years ago for using the word “niggardly”, properly and in context.
Based on the evidence I’ve seen — she’s not guilty.
Based on the evidence I’ve seen — she’s not guilty.I was wondering when the first "not guilty" would register. -lol-
There was a thread back when it happened. The real reason she was taken off the team was her support for Golden Dawn, IMHO. The socialists didn’t want a popular spokeswoman for the Right.
Oh, extremely NOT GUILTY.
This politically correct crap makes me sick.
Used to be for something to be considered racist there had to be malicious or derogatory intent. The bar has definitely been lowered.That's for sure. So cruel.
There was a thread back when it happened. The real reason she was taken off the team was her support for Golden Dawn, IMHO. The socialists didn’t want a popular spokeswoman for the Right.Thanks! I figured it must have been on Free Republic, but couldn't find it with her name as a search. But I was wondering if it didn't have more to do with Golden Dawn than they claimed. It's sick, regardless! These kids work so extremely hard to make the team.
Well I noticed the word is still in the dictionary. Somethin’s gonna have to be done about that!! /s
Copy that.
Not guilty by summary judgment.
Thank you! I must be a dolt to think this wouldn’t get coverage on Free Republic, but I was thinking more on another angle regarding the story. A young man on my daughter’s team who I’ve watched swim since he was a wee shot (he was always passing everyone in the practice lanes -lol-) made the Olympic trials. My daughter looked in the newspaper for his times every day, and when she shook her head no and I saw her expression, I had to get a couple tissues. Almost all these Olympians look good (well maybe not that shot put gal that got ejected for drugs), and they should for all the time they put in. That this young lady in the article, though, actually made the team and they ejected her for something so **** trivial ... well, if I was her parent, I’d be going nutz.
Here's a picture and link to the story of the swimmer I was speaking of.
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