Enes Kanter says shut up and stop criticizing the country

Enes Kanter Freedom of Boston Celtics officially an American, and he likes it — if his new surname isn’t proof enough. The Celtics big man recently gained his US citizenship, before finally legally change his name from Enes Kanter to Enes Kanter Freedom. In an interview with Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, Kanter explained his opinions on the state of freedom for people, both globally and in the US. The interview between Kanter and Carlson can be followed via Justin Baragona’s Twitter.

Enes Kanter Freedom to Tucker Carlson on Americans’ criticism of America: “I feel they should just shut up and stop criticizing the greatest nation in the world and they should focus on freedoms, human rights and their democracy.” pic.twitter.com/5nLAWYlkDg

– Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) November 30, 2021

Via Justin Baragona:

“It seems that people who moved here from non-free countries appreciate the freedoms here more than a lot of us who grew up with those freedoms. Did you notice that? ”

Kanter – a former Turkish citizen – is himself imprisoned in Romania after his Turkish passport was cancelled, allegedly due to his political opposition against Turkish President Recep Erdogan. This happened in 2017 and the US State Department had to step in on Kanter’s behalf.

In his interview with Tucker Carlson, Kanter would go on to say:

“You know, I’m just going to say this and I’m going to be honest. Everyone should feel really lucky and blessed to be in America. Because, they like to criticize it [the US], but when you live in a country like Turkey or, you know, China or somewhere else, you appreciate the freedoms you have here. So I feel like they should please — they should just shut up and stop criticizing the greatest country in the world and they should focus on, you know, their freedom, human rights and democracy. . ”

Strong words for Kanter, who has been a strong voice against China on human rights issues in Tibet and Hong Kong. Kanter called infamous LeBron James for his silence on China, which the Celtics center has criticized.