The NGO Bird confronts the FIA with its contradictions in terms of political messages
Mixing politics and sports? The ongoing debate continues to disturb the tranquility of the paddock. The Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD), based in London, indeed believes that this new rule prevents "pilots from voicing their opinions on issues such as human rights and racism."
If FIFA had banned the “One Love” armband during the World Cup in Qatar, the FIA, too, has decided to control politically targeted messages. It was learned last December that the organization had modified its International Sporting Code in order to prohibit the broadcasting and general display of political, religious, and personal statements or comments, particularly in violation of the general principle of neutrality promoted by the FIA under its statutes, unless they have been previously approved in writing by the FIA.
This followed Lewis Hamilton’s political actions, who had climbed on the podium wearing a T-shirt with the slogan “Stop the cops who killed Breonna Taylor,” among others, as well as Sebastian Vettel who had worn a rainbow-colored T-shirt.
Today the NGO BIRD denounces these new rules in a letter addressed directly to Mohammed Ben Sulayem. This appears to be a reaction to the pilots, particularly Lewis Hamilton, who express their concerns regarding the chosen venues for F1 races, especially regarding the respect for human rights in host countries, and who take strong actions where your own organization has remained silent », stated BIRD director Sayed Alwadaei.
Hamilton has used his position to express his support for Black Lives Matter and human rights in countries with problematic records, including Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, details BIRD. Throughout his career, none of the messages conveyed by Hamilton can be considered as more political than the one from the FIA last year condemning the attacks in Ukraine, completed Alwadaei. The Bahraini indeed wants to demonstrate the inconsistency of the signals sent by the Federation and its approach.
In your statements last year, you were condemning Russia. Even though I can only applaud the message, it is clearly political. Today, the FIA wants to silence [note: Lewis Hamilton], him and others, and punish them if they dare to speak up. We tell Mohammed Ben Sulayem that this policy is wrong and must be overturned immediately,” he added.
Sayed Alwadaei concludes the letter by expressing his regret regarding unfulfilled promises. Unfortunately, Jean Todt’s presidency ended without a human rights policy being established, and it is unclear whether the FIA is still working on it under your leadership or not.
