Over the weekend an inflammatory post from a Mohamad Safa, sharing a video from an event in March 2022, directly accused a Gymnastics Ireland volunteer of racism, and racked up an enormous 45 million views.
Many of the furious responses called for the unfortunate woman – who said she had made an honest mistake – to be “punished”, “fired”, “condemned”, or accused her of being cruel and a bigot.
One can only presume that the woman at some point considered going into hiding for her safety as the hysteria mounted.
“As for this lady, may she burn in the existential hell that must be her life,” was just one of very many hysterical and threatening comments, along with exhortations to find her, and to make the ‘piece of shit’ answerable.
The accusations and condemnations weren’t confined to the woman distributing medals, however. Ireland, we were told, was also a place where people “get away with racism”, and one tweet claimed: “I have lived here since 2002 and have experienced racism every day in this rainy, tiny country. They are the same everywhere.”
A statement had been issued explaining that the young girl had not been intentionally left out – and that “upon realising the mistake they immediately rectified it and ensured that the competitor concerned was presented with her medal before she left the field of play”.
But there was only one explanation for what was seen in the video according to Safa.
“This can’t be so. [Please] someone explain why this little girl was the only one not to receive a medal,” asked a British Labour MP. “Racism” replied Safa, doubling down on the certainty of his allegation.
“Racism in its ugliest form”, he replied to another tweet, ratcheting up the outrage while also posting a link to a gofundme page for an organisation called Patriotic Vision PVA
Now, anyone who has had kids line up for participation medals in any sport, or even on a school sports day, knows how important it is for children to be recognised, and how devastating it is for a child who has been left out, or made to feel they are overlooked in a ceremony.
The event actually took place in 2022, and it appears that the official in question – she is most likely a volunteer – is reading names on the medals before placing them around the girls’ necks.
She appears not to have a medal for one little girl – but the fact that the medal was subsequently presented to the young gymnast is not included in Safa’s post.
Welcome to Ireland where people get away with racism! This little black girl broke my heart. Don’t skip this post without leaving a million heart for her. Make her famous… pic.twitter.com/YYMIP1IALZ
— Mohamad Safa (@mhdksafa) September 22, 2023
What is interesting about the furious responses is that so many refused to believe that anything but racism could explain what had happen. There was a huge rush to believe the very worst about the woman giving out medals – mostly, it seems, because she is white and the little girl is black. What an extraordinary judgmental and dismal view of the world: believing the worst about everyone in every situation.
Gymnastics Ireland issued a statement which was buried down at the end of much of the media’s reporting on the story.
“We are aware of a video that has been posted on social media relating to an incident that took place over 18 months ago at a GymSTART event in March 2022 for which we received a complaint from the parents of one of our members,” they said. “Subsequently both parties agreed to enter mediation which was independently facilitated by Sports Disputes Solutions Ireland as per our policy/procedure which led to a resolution agreed by both parties in August 2023.”
They pointed out that Gymnastics Ireland had “immediately contacted the family to express concern and reassure them that the matter was being investigated”.
“We identified the official concerned and informed the individual in question of the complaint. The official in question accepted fully that what had happened had not been acceptable but stressed that it had not been intentional,” they said.
“The official concerned said that upon realising the mistake they immediately rectified it and ensured that the competitor concerned was presented with her medal before she left the Field of Play (FoP).”
A photo from the event taken from a video of the day seems to back up that assertion – though there is no reason to think that either Gymnastics Ireland or the woman in question would lie. But by this stage the story had gone viral, and Simone Biles and others were being quoted.
It was a simple oversight that happens all the time in mass organised sports. The girl got her medal and another one for performance shortly after as the Gymnastics Ireland statements states. This was not racial and shame on Biles and the press for making it so. pic.twitter.com/tU0WXUPQMy
— Dr. Eoin Lenihan (@EoinLenihan) September 25, 2023
Gymnastics Ireland said:
The official also expressed deep regret for what they described as an honest error and requested the opportunity to apologise in person to the competitor and her family. This request was initially declined.
A written apology provided by the identified individual has since been issued to the competitor and her family.
The woman expressed “deep regret” for an “honest error” and offered an apology. What else would all the army of critics have her do? The presumption that her mistake was racially motivated says more about those who want to divide everyone and whip up endless rage than it does about Ireland or gymnastics or actual racism in the world.
So while it is upsetting for a child to feel overlooked, it is far more harmful, even devastating, to be accused of racism on an international stage and have tens of thousands of comments – many of them highly-charged, ugly, and threatening – made against because you made a honest error.
Those who spend their time whipping up racial tension should take a long, hard look at themselves. And media platforms like Sky whose reporting of the story would have the casual reader believe from the headline and sub that Gymnastics Ireland was apologising for racism, should be called out for their disgraceful punching down on the woman involved.
As more than one respondent observed, was it reasonable to expect that anyone who did, in fact, have racist views would express them openly in front of a crowded arena? Why was there so little consideration given to the far more likely explanation: that it was an unintentional error. Why didn’t Sky’s headline read: official says overlooking child was ‘honest mistake’?
And why was no consideration at all given to the impact on the safety and wellbeing of a woman unfairly accused of racism, with that claim amplified by some of the biggest news agencies in the world.
To the unnamed @GymnasticsIre official,
You simply made a minor error under pressure. Anyone involved in sports knows this happens all the time. You do not deserve this abuse. Be good to yourself, spend time with friends & family & know that so many decent people support you.
— Dr. Eoin Lenihan (@EoinLenihan) September 23, 2023
There are plenty of commentators who see racism everywhere because that suits their narrative, and because they are invested in endless division. And they have no qualms about raining hell down on a hapless woman who was foolish enough to help out an an event in order to make their point.
Racism shouldn’t be tolerated, and neither should stoking up and exploiting racial tensions. The world is better without both.