Filed under: Motorsports, Government/Legal, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Celebrities
Persona Non Grata: Carmakers attack Mosley as kinky FIA prez gets barred from Bahrain
FIA president Max Mosley, seen above at the 2006 Bahrain Grand Prix, had a whole pack of nails hammered further into his career's coffin as the Kingdom of Bahrain asked the embattled FIA president not to come to the race in the gulf state. The letter, sent by the country's ruler Crown Prince Sheikh Salman Bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, said it would be "inappropriate" for Mosley to show up in Bahrain and hit the news around the same time as the FIA announced that Mosley – who redefined the term "auto erotic" with the revelation of his disturbing sex life – would stay in London during the race to deal with "legal matters".
As if that weren't enough to end Mosley's career, several major automakers participating in Formula One have lined up to express their dismay at Mosley's behavior. BMW and Mercedes-Benz issued a joint statement calling Mosley's actions "disgraceful" and calling on the FIA to take action against its president. The statement from the rival German automakers was followed by similar declarations from Honda and from Toyota, urging the FIA to impeach Mosley in light of his "behaviour which could be understood to be racist or anti-Semitic". Don't be surprised to see other teams and manufacturers issuing similar statements as the heat continues to rise for Mosley.
[Source: Autosport, Photo by DAMIEN MEYER/AFP/Getty]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
John R 11:38AM (4/03/2008)
Given the nature of this whole bizarre affair, I imagine BMW and Mercedes would be first to chastise.
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psarhjinian 12:07PM (4/03/2008)
I think there's a certain irony in two companies (Benz, especially) that were suppliers of the Nazi regime criticizing them for this. Benz wasn't a hip-deep as Thyssen (of modern ThyssenKrupp) but it did receive respectable financial incentives.
Now, this is all in the past and isn't really significant to Daimler today, but if I were MB I would be very cautious about swatting this particular hornet's nest.
info 12:16PM (4/03/2008)
"...if I were MB I would be very cautious about swatting this particular hornet's nest."
Would you give the same advise to Ford if they were in F1?
psarhjinian 12:25PM (4/03/2008)
@info
Oh, yes. Certainly. There's some dispute over the breadth and depth of Ford's anti-Zionist sentiments in light of his being a fairly devout pacifist, but yes, there's a skeleton in that closet.
tpp 1:00PM (4/03/2008)
I really think the German manufacturers should STFU about this given their corporate history.
Those living in glass houses...
Ford Wannup 2:17PM (4/03/2008)
The Germans must be totally pissed off. Say nothing, they are damned by silence and suspected of harboring implicit approval for Max. Issue a statement, and they'll be hurled with glasshouse comments and charges of hypocrisy. After the Jewish community, they must be the ones most upset about this whole thing.
Ford Wannup 2:18PM (4/03/2008)
The Germans must be totally pissed off. Say nothing, they are damned by silence and suspected of harboring implicit approval for Max. Issue a statement, and they'll be hurled with glasshouse comments and charges of hypocrisy. After the Jewish community, they must be the ones most upset about this whole thing.
Ford Wannup 2:19PM (4/03/2008)
dang...sorry for the duplicates!
Shawn 11:40AM (4/03/2008)
How racist and anti-Semitic do you have to be to offend the Kingdom of Bahrain? LOL
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Robert 12:19PM (4/03/2008)
...erm not very, most countries won't touch him with a 100ft stick now
Samurai Jack 1:16PM (4/03/2008)
@Shawn...
Not very. A commonly overlooked fact is that Arabs are Semites too. It's not their fault that many people mistakenly believe that only Jews are.
Shawn 1:38PM (4/03/2008)
Samurai Jack, modern linguistics is clear that the word Antisemitism has expanded beyond its etymology to have the primary definition of prejudice against Jews. Before you cry foul, remember that language change very frequently, and this not the only word that changed or has added meaning beyond the original.
Even if you wish to argue technicalities and ignore modern linguistics, Bahrain's generally racist attitute also covers other Arabs and non-zionist Jews. What I stated, as a joke, still stands technically correct.
Sorry that offended the apologists.
psarhjinian 11:41AM (4/03/2008)
Ok, stupid, yes. Selfish, yes. Offensive, yup. Worth firing him for? Probably, given that it's a PR nightmare for F1 there's certainly a business case for "asking him to leave" or simply just giving him a golden parachute and pushing him out the door.
But racist or anti-Semitic? Not really, no. He wasn't furthering the spread of hate, just indulging in a kink. Yes, it's disturbing and potentially offensive, but it's not, by the book, a hate crime. I think people need to learn to distinguish between anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism (which a whole ugly can of worms that I do _not_ want to get into), as well as between anti-Semitism and simple historical allusion.
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Ibby 11:55AM (4/03/2008)
psarhjinian I already see comments like Shawn's coming and thank goodness someone here knows the difference between anti-zionism and anti-semitism...people forget that the Arabs are semitic people.
John R 12:12PM (4/03/2008)
+1. Its not often someone can make that distinction. kudos.
Franz 11:57AM (4/03/2008)
His career is pretty much done for. Nobody will want to stand behind him in light of his basement shenanigans. It's funny how things like these can make someone lose all credibility.
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Quattrofan 11:57AM (4/03/2008)
I repeat, put a fork in his pasty ass. He is done.
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Mohawk58 12:53PM (4/03/2008)
He might like a fork in his ass from what I saw.
Every company and country has a past but it doesn't mean they can not denounce it now. Sorry, wearing a swastika, speaking German, and using the deaths of millions as the premise to your sexual pleasures is clearly outside acceptable behavior in modern society. To write it off as "private" behavior once discovered is morally and socially irresponsible.
Todd 12:00PM (4/03/2008)
Damn, can't a brother get his freak on without disrupting the entire automotive manufacturing industry - worldwide? Sheesh!
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Way of the Future 12:01PM (4/03/2008)
hey the man lasted for 5 hours give him a break...not really but pretty impressive at his age none the less
ts pretty much bye bye for him
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