BOSTON (WHDH) - A scary situation for Celtic’s star Enes Kanter erupted outside of a Boston mosque on Friday.
The Celtic’s center said he and teammate Tacko Fall were harassed and threatened while leaving Friday prayer.
Kanter has been outspoken against the Turkish government for committing what he says are human rights violations against its people.
He said he knows that the confrontation outside the mosque was retaliation for his actions by supporters of the Turkish government.
“There were these two guys waiting outside for us,” Kanter said. “They started talking Turkish and at first, everybody just thought they were fans. Even like my teammates, they are like, ‘Hey, I thought they were just fans.'”
Kanter said it did not take him long to realize that the two men in question were not fans.
“They just started verbally attacking me. They would start harassing me,” he said. “They would call me a traitor. They told me I shouldn’t be here, I shouldn’t be in this mosque.”
Kanter replied to the alleged harassment saying, “What? This is a house of God. What are you talking about?”
In regards to his message, he said, “What I am talking about is you know, human rights. Freedom. Freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of expression. I’m talking about democracy. I’m talking about justice and just because I talk about these issues, I shouldn’t be getting harassed. I shouldn’t be getting verbally attacked.”
Kanter said that at the end of the day he knows this outburst does not represent the city of Boston nor our country as a whole.
“I would never blame the city of Boston or the people from America,” he said.
He said he has since received an outpouring of support from the community, state and city leaders including Mayor Martin J. Walsh.
He is resolved to continue sharing his belief and practicing his faith.
Cambridge police conducted a preliminary investigation and determined that no criminal activity occurred and the individuals featured in the video were exercising their right to free speech.
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