By Faruk Hanedar and Esra Taskin
İSTANBUL/PARIS (AA) - Former French basketball player Emilie Gomis, who was removed from her role as an Olympic ambassador for criticizing Israel on Instagram, says she has been targeted to show what will happen to those who support the Palestinians.
Speaking to Anadolu, Gomis said she shared an Instagram story on Oct. 9 last year to explain what colonialism can do to a country and why the Oct. 7 cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Israel happened.
She never anticipated the fallout from sharing the Instagram story, Gomis said.
In the Instagram story, Gomis posted a message showing maps of France from 1947, 1967, and 2023, with the Israeli flag gradually covering the tricolor flag to replace it on French territory.
"What would you do in this situation?" she asked in the post.
As the daughter of a Senegalese immigrant, Gomis said the issue is very important to her. "I just wanted to raise awareness and draw attention to it."
Gomis was chosen for the Paris 2024 ambassador role in November 2021.
- Accusations of antisemitism
Gomis said her agent called and asked her to remove the story, noting that she must remain neutral as Paris 2024's Olympic ambassador and not share posts about the war.
Since she was the Olympic ambassador at the time, she was advised that this was a sensitive issue and it would be better not to get involved, Gomis added.
"For this reason, I apologized for the post without knowing whom I should apologize to."
In a post on X, Gomis said she was accused of being "antisemitic" and "defending terrorists."
"I was surprised and called my boss directly. Tony Estanguet is the president of Paris 2024. It was very important for me to tell him first that this post was not against Jews or anyone else, as claimed."
Estanguet told her he would discuss the matter with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), said Gomis. However, he later told her: "Emilie, I think you did something wrong. They don't want any more trouble, so it's hard for them to keep you. You need to step down."
Gomis said she couldn't reach anyone to explain herself.
"I realized that I was the target of pro-Israel non-governmental organizations because they were speaking directly to the press.
"The president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF) proudly stated in the media that he called the sports minister and said Emilie had to be fired,” she said.
"When I heard this, I knew exactly what was going to happen to me and that this was propaganda against me.
"This wasn't about who I am; it was about my support for the Palestinian people and the side I chose. That's why they targeted me. It wasn't about antisemitism or defending terrorism," Gomis said.
She said an association filed a complaint against her for "terrorist propaganda" and "being antisemitic" and she was called to the police station to give a statement regarding the accusations.
"Frankly, it was important for me to be able to explain myself and actually tell what happened. Because for more than 40 days, I had been trying to make my voice heard by sports institutions and had not succeeded."
Regarding welcoming the Palestinian delegation at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport on July 25, Gomis said: "I continue to support Palestine. This is about humanity, justice, and recognizing a people who should be sovereign."
- IOC's decision 'hypocritical'
Addressing the IOC’s sanctions on Russian athletes while taking no action against Israeli athletes, Gomis said: "This is hypocrisy. Why don't we understand that Israel doesn't respect the rules? Even if we don't agree with what the IOC is doing regarding Russia, we have to respect it."
"We also have to respect UN laws, which clearly explain what is happening and what Israel is doing. There needs to be a balance in these decisions."
Gomis emphasized that the measures applied to Russian and previously to South African athletes should also be applied to Israeli athletes today, highlighting that the situation in Gaza is worse than in Ukraine.
She said she doesn’t want Israeli athletes to be excluded from the Olympics but rather to participate under a neutral flag.
"A state that commits genocide cannot participate in the Olympics with its flag and anthem," she stressed.
Gomis noted that the Olympic Games are based on universal values, adding: "I think Israel should participate in the Olympics under a neutral flag and be subject to the same sanctions applied to Russia and South Africa."
- Pressure on critics in France
She noted the significant pressure on those who criticize Israel in France.
"In France, there is great pressure on people who support Palestine. Currently, you are not allowed to write on social media to show the realities of what is happening in Gaza, such as sharing videos of children being killed.
"You are not allowed to show this, as if you are not respecting media rules."
Gomis said she has also been blocked on social media, her official Facebook page was closed, and Instagram began deleting her videos.
Gomis said that people in France are concerned about what might happen to them if they speak out.
She noted that the Israeli community in France is sending a message through the media: "Do you see what happened to Emilie Gomis? If you do something, the same will happen to you. She lost her job, and she was a public figure."
'It is time for people to know what is happening in Gaza'
Gomis emphasized that despite being a public figure, the challenges she faced were significant, and ordinary people might suffer even more under such circumstances, noting that individuals of Arab descent could be directly labeled "terrorists."
She thinks it is also time for people to know what is happening in Gaza.
"That's why I tried to talk to some French athletes, but it was difficult for them to speak out. I understand because they have worked for many years to participate in the Olympics, so they risk losing their opportunity to compete.
"I understand why they are silent at the moment."
She believes that after the Olympic Games end, athletes will start speaking out about Gaza.
*Writing by Muhammed Enes Calli in Istanbul