Sam Grafton has come under fire after tweeting out support for Palestine in the wake of the surprise attacks launched against Israel at the weekend with some even calling on PokerStars to ditch him as ambassador.
Important reminder. https://t.co/uHQnaBUXu3
— Sam Grafton (@SquidPoker) October 7, 2023
With hundreds dead and injured in a series of attacks by Hamas, 43-year-old PokerStars ambassador Grafton was quick to remind the poker community of Israel’s own actions in its 75-year history.
That didn’t go down well with a number of poker fans, many of whom called for PokerStars to end its association with the Englishman.
- Hey @PokerStars any chance you could stop your ambassadors from spreading radical war propaganda on Twitter? Cool thx -Leon
- @PokerStars, This guy supports terrorists, he should be out of your competition and Sam, shame on you disgusting person. – Rotem Ringel
Fellow poker pro Gaby Livshitz was another calling for Grafton to be sacked, with a veiled threat for the upcoming European Poker Tour stop in Cyprus.
Hey @PokerStars hope ur next paycheck to this dude, Sam, who supports the “peacefull and democratic” regime of the Hammas, will be the last one.
Hope u sleep well tonight mate. Ill do my best to show u some of the horrors u publicly support, when we meet in Merit in a few days.
— Gaby Livshitz (@Gabylivs) October 7, 2023
Across the pond, Daniel Negreanu was among those who immediately took to Twitter to support the state of Israel when news of the attacks broke.
The people of Israel are surrounded by nations who’s stated goal is the genocide of Jews
A tiny sliver of the region surrounded by nations who want them all dead
They use children as human shields, ironically preying on it being a deterrent to Israelis
I stand with Israel
🇮🇱— Daniel Negreanu (@RealKidPoker) October 8, 2023
Again, his timeline was quickly filled with messages of support from unswerving pro-Israel accounts, mixed with reminders that the history of the beleaguered Middle eastern hotspot has never been black and white.
- Basic Racist / Islamophobic rhetoric, with a complete lack of knowledge of the situation, nothing surprising coming you… – Hannibal
- It´s pity that you see the matter “so simply”. It´s far more complex. But I also don’t see any point in opposing you argumentatively. You have tons of Jewish friends and a massive following… – MegaMove
- Thanks my friend. Eli Elezra
Whether or not PokerStars takes any action against Grafton remains to be seen, but it is significant that Grafton hasn’t deleted any of his numerous tweets despite the outcry.
However, when Daniel Colman and Olivier Busquet donned pro-Palestine t-shirts back in 2014 at EPT Barcelona, they were quickly told off by PokerStars…
@PokerStars has informed me that making political statements on clothing is no longer allowed at their events, which I understand & respect
— Olivier Busquet (@olivierbusquet) August 21, 2014
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