Imagine being a Jewish kid at your bar mitzvah celebration. You are a mad Australia Rules Football (AFL) supporter, and your favorite team is Carlton.
Little known to you, your parents have arranged for a surprise on this, one of the happiest days of your life. An appearance by none other than Captain Carlton, the club mascot!
The time for the great one to appear comes and goes, yet Captain Carlton does not make his grand entrance. Little beknownst to you, he has stormed out before doing what he was going to be paid to do.
You see, the man playing Captain Carlton is no real-life superhero. In fact, he is a villain who supposedly cares about kids – unless the kid is a proud Jew who believes in the right of his homeland to exist:
Carlton Football Club is at the centre of an anti-Semitic furore after the club’s mascot stormed out of a young fan’s Bar Mitzvah after learning he was raising money for wounded Israeli soldiers.
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The boy’s parents had arranged for Captain Carlton to make a surprise appearance at the function.
But witnesses said the mascot abruptly left before making his grand entrance after learning the money gifted to the 13-year-old would be used to support Israeli soldiers.
He was allegedly overheard saying “I’m not doing this for f—ing Zios”, referring to Zionists.
The walkout stunned guests, many of whom were senior Carlton members and Jewish community leaders, including leading Jewish community figure Jeremy Leibler.
Thankfully, the Carlton Football Club have not wasted any time doing the right thing:
Carlton has confirmed a man working as mascot “Captain Carlton” will no longer be employed by the club after the incident at the lavish celebration on Sunday.
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In a statement, the Carlton Football Club said it “exists as a united, inclusive, and values-led club and are committed to fostering a respectful environment for all members of our community.”
“The Club is aware of a matter that occurred at a private event and has taken the appropriate steps to address it in a manner that aligns with our values and responsibilities as a club.
“The matter has now been closed out and resolved with all parties involved.”
which is more than can be said for the Fremantle Dockers, who did absolutely nothing after their actual captain (not of the mascot variety) defended terror supporters.
Not surprisingly, the haters are applauding the Cap:
I guess cosplayers like to stick together.
