Sydney (AFP) – A leading domestic violence charity severed ties Thursday with Australia’s National Rugby League after it invited US President Donald Trump to its season-opening games in Las Vegas this weekend. White Ribbon Australia, part of a global social movement working to end men’s violence against women, called the NRL’s decision “disappointing and frankly, tone deaf.”
“Sporting organisations like the NRL have a vital role to play in promoting a culture of safety and respect for women,” it said in a statement. “We believe the fans and participants of the NRL — almost half of whom are female — deserve better.”
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“After the NRL’s decision to associate with known perpetrators, White Ribbon Australia contacted the NRL to insist they remove any reference to us on their promotional material. The NRL has since complied with this request.” White Ribbon, which has had a relationship with the NRL since the mid-2000s, did not specifically name Trump. But national broadcaster ABC and other media said he was the focus of their protest, along with Ultimate Fighting Championship boss Dana White who also received an invite.
It followed Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’Landys appearing on US TV programme Fox and Friends carrying a match ball emblazoned with the word “TRUMP” to invite the president to the season-opening games. The Australian Rugby League Commission is the sport’s administrator and controls the NRL.
Trump was found liable for sexually abusing and later defaming writer E. Jean Carroll in 2023, with the verdict upheld by a federal appeals court last year. White was caught on camera in New Year’s Eve in 2022 slapping his wife in a nightclub. He publicly apologised and faced no charges.
NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo defended the decision to invite Trump. “We are playing this match in America. We’re being hosted by America,” the Sydney Morning Herald cited him as saying at a function overnight in Las Vegas. “Last year we invited Joe Biden, this year we invited Donald Trump. We invited the sitting president of the country in which we visit. It’s not an unusual practice to do this.”
“It’s not to say we have any political affiliation with any party. We’re a sport. We’re about bringing people together no matter what your political beliefs, no matter what your background.” Trump has attended several high-profile sporting events recently, including the Daytona 500 and the Super Bowl.
The NRL made its first foray to America last year with a double-header at the 65,000-seat Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, which it is repeating this year. It has long wanted to stage games in the United States as a way to grow the sport outside Australia, where it is hugely popular.
© 2024 AFP
