"Once again the actions of an old white man have fucked it all up," writes Ricky in a fiery resignation letter.
Ricky Basnett made an anti-semitic statement on Instagram that calls for the destruction of Israel and the Jews.
I thought he might just be ignorant and asked his employer to get him to take it down. There is enough hate in the world.
I am a Jew and found it incredibly offensive and anti-semitic. Surfers I know have already been murdered in this conflict.
I could have just let it slide since it had only one comment but for me there is a question of morality, 1,200 murders, rapes and dismemberment. Two hundred and forty hostages.
Yes, I agree Palestinians have suffered too and that war is dreadful.
I do not want a team member who supports the extinction of Jews and the Jewish state but I never fired Ricky Basnett or asked him to be fired. He cut ties on his own.
Read his resignation letter.
After his employer asked him to take down the post at my request, this is what I and his employer received.
Morning S.. (employer with me cc’d)
Before I say anything else, I want you to know that I have the utmost respect for you and am super grateful for the opportunity you gave me with Instinct.
The events that transpired over the weekend however have left a disgusting taste in my mouth, and it’s honestly a gigantic red flag for me.
I will NEVER be censored for my beliefs, and unfortunately cannot be aligned with a company whose founder openly supports genocide and oppression.
As you already know, Shaun’s statements over the last month have been hurting the brand locally, and it baffles my mind that as a human who grew up in apartheid South Africa, he can’t see what he is doing. Our own South African government is Pro Palestine.
Instinct IS Shaun and his public opinions reflect on the brand. He may have left SA, but the legacy of apartheid hasn’t, and while I’m trying to help build HIS company into an inclusive, diverse South African brand, he clearly sees his personal views as more important than all of that work.
On top of that, I have zero respect for anyone who can’t voice their issues directly to me. Going behind my back to you is cowardly. The only thing I’ve been sent directly from him is some random propaganda clip full of proven inaccuracies, and I’ll be honest I am fucking livid with the situation. He’s also been deleting opposing comments on his posts, and this, along with the immediate attempted censoring of my views, has shown me his true colours.
I need to protect my own brand here, and with no paycheck coming in from Instinct, you can understand my need to step away.
At the end of the day I’m just really sad it’s gone this way. Once again the actions of an old white man have fucked it all up. I am also unfortunately going to have to make a public statement regarding my decision. In no way do I want to hurt the brand locally, but again, I need to protect myself and explain why this relationship has ended so suddenly.
I really do wish you all the best, and I am truly sorry for this mail.
Ricky
After his letter, I sent along this letter….
Shaun Tomson
To:Ricky Badness,S..
Mon, Nov 13 at 5:16 PM (note time stamps)
Ricky
You can support Hamas and the kidnapping murder rape and dismemberment of babies all you want. You are parroting the same old anti semitic tropes I have heard all my life. The same old Jew hatred that has been around before you and will be around after.
Support Hamas and be proud of your choice. Initially I thought you were simply ignorant but now I know that is not the case. I will not be aligned and support an anti semite, someone who calls for the destruction of Israel.
Certain things in life like values and human decency are more important than business.
Genocide – do you even know what they word means. 6 million Jews died in the 1940s. That was genocide.
Your anti-semitism is disgusting to me.
Shaun Tomson
So please get it straight.
(Watch Jason Hearn’s very good film about Ricky Basnett here. Many tears etc.)
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Love Rick… a real cool chap with a sensible head.
what!? best, Dane.
I had to check that and can see your correct ( can’t find a
Nothing about continue support?).
Sounds all very similar to how the USA help build the Taliban?
Shaun Pompousmon.
https://youtu.be/uwuf6qFYKp…
tattoed! gnarly~
“or I’ll be living in a van down by the river!”
you may or not be in OZ, but most countries where the Brits sent banished peeps are still pretty much thriving…like Denmark, Scotland, and ‘merica. but not without a lot of kung foo fighting.
white punks: one youthful, one aging. selling surfgear. expanding & contracting. if I was the boss… they’d both be fired. But I know which way the wind blows and Yvon won’t do it.
Good for you Shaun!
You trap a population for generations behind a fence, control their food, water and energy, suffocate their freedom and more importantly, their opportunities and encroach every chance you can get on “their” land.
What do you expect? Anyone surprised isn’t paying attention.
Just the latest disproportionate response from the dominant military mirrors so many others. Destroy your enemies prison, but what happens to the prisoners? Where will they go? Neighbors don’t want them.
Looking forward to the March for Israel.
I’m sure it will be peaceful.
Very peaceful
Save your anger for something productive. Once you start cheering the carpet bombing of densely populated civilian areas you’re unlikely to go back and read up on the issue.
Hayes too far gone!
Basnett stocks are plummeting!
Down 33%
I support and stand with Israel.
No reply needed.
Remove hammas and supporters from the face of earth and the world will be better place!
broken skipping record.
Such a 2023 thing to say
What is Koby’s opinion now?!?!
Both men wrote emails! A no-no in his eyes.
Someone quick, check his IG for his opinion.
His got a bad back.happened to old dudes.
Couldn’t even handle sas Australian.
Typical big man who stands on tippy toes 5”6.
His big claims is he beat Kelly in the third round of a bra boy’s local board riders comp.
Kelly didn’t cry or care less
Snickers… he did get a few psycho slabs in the Bra Boys film before he thought he was off to the slamma. But yeah!
“Our own South African government is Pro Palestine” The South African Government is hardly virtuous. One example supporting Russia over Ukraine.
Ja you are not making many friends in South Africa by pushing the Kleptocracy that the ANC has devolved into since the Mandela era.
Somewhere high on the bluff ricky is furiously hen pecking a response
You need to examine what you mean by using the word ‘resistance’. It implies a righteous struggle against oppression. OK, there is an argument that your average Gazan is oppressed by Israel on a day to day basis, BUT this is not a war of resistance. This is not THAT war. This war stems from an indisputable act of inconceivable, brutal and bloody aggression by a terrorist group whose stated aims are genocidal. It fucking sucks that the powerless Gazan Palestinians who are not supporters of these terrorists are inextricably involved and very unfairly will suffer [yet again]. If Israel could eradicate Hamas without danger to any innocents they would do so. If you know a way that Hamas [+ Hezbollah/ Islamic Jihad etc] can be separated and dealt with without risk to innocents, could you please contact the IDF and offer your guidance.
Seriously… they post-up under fucking children’s hospitals ffs!
So what’s happening simultaneously in the West Bank and East Jerusalem is…
Your thoughts hd?
My thoughts are you cannot expect a nation to be invaded, it’s citizens killed and taken hostage without reprisal. The acts of Oct 7th are not ‘resistance’ is my point, and to use that term to soften and excuse the inhumanity of that day is stupid.
As for West bank/ East Jerusalem, I don’t have enough true understanding to make a proper comment so I won’t, my point to TSC was re the term ‘resistance’.
Hmm… and my point was that judging the intent of the Israeli government/military re the sparing of civilian life and trying to “get” Hamas seems fairly “optimistic” considering ~200 Palestinian civilians have died in the West Bank since the October 7th terrorist attack. Reminder there’s no Hamas in the WestBank.