"Jews kill blacks" and "Jews enslave Black lives," were found spray painted publicly in Atlanta, Georgia on Tuesday.
StopAntisemitism posted on Twitter two pictures of the graffiti. "THIS is what you are fueling Kyrie Irving," they wrote. "THIS is what Jews have to endure when notable figures like yourself use their platform to spread falsities and hatred of others. THIS is on YOU, Kyrie Irving."
"Jews Kill Blacks" & "Jews enslave Black Lives" - today in AtlantaTHIS is what you are fueling Kyrie Irving THIS is what Jews have to endure when notable figures like yourself use their platforms to spread falsities & hatred of othersTHIS is on YOU @KyrieIrving pic.twitter.com/5QyWOlh91Z
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) November 2, 2022
StopAntisemitism continued its tweet with a Twitter thread, linking to an article at Sports Illustrated and wrote, "By not addressing and punishing Irving's promotion of antisemitism, the NBA and Adam Silver have essentially green-lighted it. We stand with Charles Barkley - Irving needs to be suspended. This situation is unacceptable."
By not addressing and punishing Irving's promotion of antisemitism, the @NBA and Adam Silver have essentially green lighted it.We stand with Charles Barkley - Irving needs to be suspended. This situation is unacceptable! https://t.co/MwWJ5rPdvW
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) November 2, 2022
A day after StopAntisemitism's tweet, the NBA released a statement announcing that it have suspended Irving for five games with no pay.
"Over the last several days, we have made repeated attempts to work with Kyrie Irving to help him understand that harm and the danger of his words and actions, which began with him publicizing a film containing deeply disturbing antisemitic hate," the Nets said in its statement. "We believed that taking the path of education in this challenging situation would be the right one and thought that we had made progress without joint commitment to eradicating hate and intolerance.
"We have decided that Kyrie will serve a suspension without pay until he satisfies a series of objective remedial measures that address the harmful impact of his conduct – and the suspension period served is no less than five games."
What did Irving do that got him suspended?
The NBA All-Star promoted a 2015 antisemitic book, which was turned into a movie, called Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America, a story about how black people are the true Israelites and that their identities have been stolen.
Irving got a lot of backlash from him promoting the book that has been deemed as antisemitic. A group of Jews attended a Nets game, sitting courtside and wearing t-shirts that read "Fight antisemitism."
In a joint statement from Irving, the Brooklyn Nets and the Anti-Defamation League announced that Irving and the Nets will each donate $500,000 toward causes and organizations that work to fight against hate and intolerance, as well as working alongside the ADL.
"I am aware of the negative impact of my post on the Jewish community and I take responsibility. I do not believe everything said in the documentary was true or reflects my morals and principles," Irving said in the statement. "I am a human being learning from all walks of life and I intend to do so with an open mind and a willingness to listen. So from my family and I, we meant no harm to any one group, race, or religion of people and wish to only be a beacon of truth and light."
Within the joint statement, nothing was mentioned about Irving's actions or any apologies for Irving's controversial post with the link to the film.