NEWS PROVIDED BY
Christian Defense Coalition
Sept. 17, 2020

ORLANDO, Fla., Sept. 17, 2020 /Christian Newswire/ -- The activists will call for the NBA to publicly condemn the horrific human rights and civil liberty abuses by the Chinese government who continue to brutalize their own people and trample freedom in Hong Kong.
 
The Christian Defense Coalition will be leading a protest on Friday, September 18, at 1:30 PM at the security check point to Disney's ESPN Wide World of Sports.

It is unconscionable, that only a short time ago, the NBA had training at a facility in Xingjiang. This is the province where Chinese authorities brutalized, imprisoned and tortured over one million Uighur Muslims.

The Chinese Communist Party recently passed a national security law in Hong Kong which will imprison those seeking democracy and freedom as well as bulldozing churches and persecuting Christians, jailing Falun Gong practitioners, crushing political dissidents, restricting freedom of the press and denying civil liberties. Yet not one NBA player or owner has publicly condemned the Chinese government for these abuses.

Rev. Patrick Mahoney, Director of the Christian Defense Coalition in Washington DC and a longtime outspoken advocate for human rights in China and Hong Kong, states;

"It is unconscionable the NBA, at one time, had a facility in Xingjiang where Chinese authorities have brutalized, imprisoned and tortured over one million Uighur Muslims. It is disgraceful the NBA continues their business and corporate ties with the Communist Party of China who continually trample human rights and freedom for their own people.
 
"Last year Houston Rocket General Manager, Daryl Morey, sent out a tweet saying, 'Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong.' The Chinese government put pressure on the NBA causing them to issue a statement saying Morey's comments were 'regrettable.' Basketball superstar, LeBron James, criticized Morey's tweet and said he was 'not educated on the situation.'

"Sadly, the NBA never once said the Chinese government brutalizing the people of Hong Kong and crushing freedom and democracy were 'regrettable.' The only thing 'regrettable' about Morey's tweet, was the cowardice of NBA officials publicly refusing to speak out on human rights abuses in Hong Kong. My recommendation for LeBron James is for him to talk with the heroic democracy protesters of Hong Kong and listen to their stories of persecution and violence so he can become 'educated' on the situation.

"We call upon the NBA to publicly condemn the human rights abuses by the Chinese government and commit to work as passionately for social justice in China as they are working for it here in America. I pray the NBA takes to heart the words of Dr. Martin Luther King when he said, 'Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.'"

For more information or interviews please call:
Rev. Patrick Mahoney at 540.538.4741

SOURCE Christian Defense Coalition

CONTACT: Rev. Patrick Mahoney, 540-538-4741