I didn't even know Muhammed Ali had a son, but he just gained my respect!
Speaking out on the fourth anniversary of his father's death, Ali Jr. spoke on a number of topics, saying his father would have "hated" the BLM movement.
Ali Jr. said "all lives matter" and of the BLM movement said "I think it's racist."
Wow.
Thank you for speaking up!
Our friends over at the NY Post had more to report on the story:
On the fourth anniversary of his death, Muhammad Ali’s only biological son says that his father would be against Black Lives Matter, calling the movement “racist” and the protesters “devils.”
The legendary boxer and activist stood up against racism throughout his life, but Muhammad Ali Jr. says his dad would have been sickened by how the protests have turned to violence and looting after the death of George Floyd.
“Don’t bust up s–t, don’t trash the place,” he told The Post. “You can peacefully protest.
‘‘My father would have said, ‘They ain’t nothing but devils.’ My father said, ‘all lives matter.’ I don’t think he’d agree.
Of the BLM movement, Ali Jr., a Muslim like his father, said: “I think it’s racist.”
“It’s not just black lives matter, white lives matter, Chinese lives matter, all lives matter, everybody’s life matters. God loves everyone — he never singled anyone out. Killing is wrong no matter who it is,” Ali said during an hour-long interview with The Post.
On police brutality, Ali defended law enforcement in general.
“Police don’t wake up and think, ‘I’m going to kill a n—-r today or kill a white man,'” he said. “They’re just trying to make it back home to their family in one piece.
Enlarge ImageMuhammad Ali Jr. with Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali Jr. with Muhammad Alihttp://www.thisischriswhite.com
Speaking of Floyd’s killing at the knee of a white Minneapolis police officer, Ali said, “The officer was wrong with killing that person, but people don’t realize there was more footage than what they showed. The guy resisted arrest, the officer was doing his job, but he used the wrong tactic.”
He agrees with President Trump that Antifa fomented violence during the Floyd protests and should be labeled a terrorist organization.
“They’re no different from Muslim terrorists. They should all get what they deserve. They’re f–king up businesses, beating up innocent people in the neighborhood, smashing up police stations and shops. They’re terrorists – they’re terrorizing the community. I agree with the peaceful protests, but the Antifa, they need to kill everyone in that thing.
“Black Lives Matter is not a peaceful protest. Antifa never wanted it peaceful. I would take them all out.”
Enlarge ImageMuhammad Ali kisses his newborn son as his wife Belinda looks on.
Muhammad Ali kisses his newborn son as his wife Belinda looks on.Bettmann Archive
A Father of two, Ali, 47, lives in Hallandale Beach, Florida, and has struggled to make ends meet in recent years working as a landscape gardener and construction worker. He’s previously said he gets only a $1,000 monthly allowance from his father’s estimated $60 million estate.
“The Greatest” had nine children — Muhammad Jr., eight daughters and an adopted son, Asaad Amin — with four wives. Junior was the fourth-born to first wife Belinda Boyd, who converted to Islam and now goes by Khalilah Ali.
And from Business Insider:
Muhammad Ali Jr. said he did not believe his father would have supported the current Black Lives Matter movement, calling participants in the movement "racist," The New York Post reported Saturday.
"I think it's racist," Ali Jr., the legendary boxer's only biological son whose relationship with his father "completely fell apart" in the final decade of his life, said, according to the report.
He added: "It's not just Black lives matter, white lives matter, Chinese lives matter, all lives matter, everybody's life matters. God loves everyone — he never singled anyone out. Killing is wrong no matter who it is."
''My father would have said, 'They ain't nothing but devils," Ali Jr, 47, told The New York Post. "My father said, 'all lives matter.' I don't think he'd agree."
Ali Jr. pointed toward some of the more destructive actions of some protestors in recent weeks as part of his own dissatisfaction with the Black Lives Matter movement. While some protests — particularly early on — turned destructive, many of the still ongoing demonstrations have remained peaceful.
"Black Lives Matter is not a peaceful protest. Antifa never wanted it peaceful. I would take them all out," Ali Jr. said.
"It's a racial statement," he said of Black Lives Matter. "It's pitting black people against everyone else. It starts racial things to happen; I hate that."
In 2016, Ali's most famous child, television personality and retired boxer Laila Ali, made similar statement, saying, "All lives matter."
"Yes, Black lives matter. Yes, white lives matter, asian lives matter. All lives matter," the boxing world champion said. "And that's kind of what my focus is."
On Wednesday, Ali told KTLA she thought it was a "shame" that Black Americans were still fighting to secure the same things her father supported.
"His grandsons are even having to fight two generations later, but we're going to keep at it because it's all about equality for Black people and all people," she said.
Nationwide protests against police brutality began following the police killing of 46-year-old George Floyd in Minneapolis. A since-fired police officer was recorded kneeling on Floyd's neck for more than eight minutes while he said he couldn't breathe and even after he lost consciousness. Three other officers have also been fired from the Minneapolis Police Department. All four have been charged for their involvement.
"Don't bust up s–t, don't trash the place," Ali Jr. told The Post. "You can peacefully protest."
As NPR noted, his father, the legendary late boxer often nicknamed "The Greatest," was a known activist, notably making headlines in 1967 for his refusal to be inducted into the U.S. Army in 1967 citing his opposition to the Vietnam War, his religious beliefs, and his identity as a Black Muslim.
In 1964, Ali, born Cassius Clay, joined the Nation of Islam under the guidance of his spiritual leader Malcolm X and changed his name to Muhammad Ali to rid himself of his "slave name."
In an hour-long interview with the news outlet, Ali Jr. defended the police and said they "don't wake up and think, 'I'm going to kill a n----r today or kill a white man."
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