Rajoub honors Turkish fighter for Palestinian solidarity in spite of WKFE’s condemnation

“[PA] President of the State of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas presented Turkish Kung Fu fighter Necmettin Erbakan Akyüz with the Medal of Jerusalem at the level of Knight of Jerusalem, as a sign of appreciation for his excellence in the field of sports, his courage, and his solidarity with the Palestinian people… 

Today, Saturday [May 12, 2024], Head of the [PLO] Supreme Council for Youth and Sports Jibril Rajoub presented the medal to fighter Akyüz at the State of Palestine’s consulate in Istanbul… 

Rajoub noted that… the honoring of this icon conveys a message of honor from the Palestinian people to all the central figures in the Turkish people and its political and social groups, foremost among them Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan… 

It should be noted that the [Wushu] Kungfu Federation of Europe (WKFE) transferred the Turkish champion to investigation, after he celebrated by waving the Palestinian flag and danced the ‘owners of the land’ dance after winning a gold medal at the European Championships in Kung Fu. It threatened him with canceling the title, claiming that what he did contradicts the WKFE’s values and laws, and claimed that this is a mixing of politics with sports.” 

[WAFA, official PA news agency, May 12, 2024]