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7 months ago
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Shaun Johnson was spotted wearing a 'Free Palestine' badge, leading to Sonny Bill Williams praising the NRL star for 'standing for justice'.
Williams, 38, a devout Muslim who converted to Islam in 2009, has been vocal on social media about the ongoing crisis in Gaza, which erupted in October and has resulted in thousands of lives lost.
And he took to social media on Tuesday after a photo of Warriors halfback Johnson sporting a 'Free Palestine' badge did the rounds.
The 33-year-old was all smiles in the photo with his wife, Kayla. It is unknown when the photograph was taken.
'Good to see some players standing for justice,' Williams posted alongside three emojis of the Palestine flag.
Shaun Johnson wore a 'Free Palestine' badge in a photo that has down the rounds online
Johnson is not the first footy star to support Palestine, with Bulldogs star Josh Addo-Carr likening the struggle of the Palestinians to that of Indigenous Australians.
In October, he star shared an image of the Indigenous flag next to the Palestinian flag alongside the caption, 'ONE STRUGGLE ONE FIGHT'.
Beneath the Indigenous flag are the words 'LAND BACK' and the logo of the Black People's Union (BPU), accompanied by Arabic writing.
He later apologised for the message.
Earlier this year, the NRL condemned Sonny Bill after he was accused of inciting hatred on social media in relation to the Gaza war, having described supporters of Israel as 'Zionist cowards' while claiming Israelis taken hostage by Hamas in the October 7 attack were treated well.
That led to the Executive Council of Australian Jewry telling the NRL that many members of Australia's Jewish community were offended by his statements, and asking that Williams be counselled by the league.
NRL CEO Andrew Abdo slammed Williams' stance in his reply to the organisation.
'The NRL condemns any comments that have the effect of denying or downplaying the atrocities committed by Hamas on 7 October 2023, including the targeting and murder of civilians, including women and children, the taking of hostages and indiscriminate fire,' Abdo wrote, according to News Corp.
Sonny Bill Williams praised Johnson, having been vocal in his support of Palestine
The former All Black is a devout Muslim and has made his views clear on social media
'The NRL does not endorse or support the comments and or views articulated by Mr Williams in his comments recently posted on Instagram and X.
'Given that Mr Williams is not bound by the NRL Rules, the NRL has no jurisdiction or mechanism to sanction or counsel Mr Williams in relation to the comments he has made on social media platforms.'
Abdo went on to write that the NRL doesn't think it's appropriate to comment about the conflict in Gaza.
Williams has also accused the media of trying to make the 'genocide' of Palestinians seem 'warranted' in the post featuring his 'cowards' comment.
'Wallahi (I swear to God) where is our Ummah (Muslim community)?' he wrote.
'Where are the so called men entrusted to stand up and fight for our voiceless - if this footage is too gruesome for you REMEMBER these are the same people that certain parts of the media DEHUMANISE so you think this genocide is warranted.
'All you Zionist cowards wouldn't last a day fighting real men face to face. Allahu Akbar!!'
Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Alex Ryvchin said the 38-year-old was using his platform to incite hatred against fellow Australians and offered to meet Williams 'anywhere and anytime' to discuss the matter.
'His comments are reckless, dangerous and clearly uninformed,' Ryvchin said.
'But to his many fans and followers, they will sound compelling and will serve to incitement hatred and further destabilise our fragile social cohesion.'
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