Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja says he will fight the ICC’s ruling that stops him from wearing shoes with messages of support for Palestine amid the war in Gaza.
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00:00 I won't say much, I don't need to.
00:03 But what I do want is for everyone who did get offended, somehow, is to ask yourself
00:08 these questions.
00:11 Is freedom not for everyone?
00:14 Are all lives not equal?
00:17 To me personally, it doesn't matter what race, religion or culture you are.
00:22 But let's be honest about it.
00:24 If me saying "all lives are equal" has resulted in people being offended to the point
00:29 where they're calling me up and telling me off, well isn't that the bigger problem?
00:36 These people obviously don't believe in what I've written.
00:38 And it's not just a handful of people, you'd be shocked about how many feel this way.
00:49 What I've written on my shoes isn't political.
00:53 I'm not taking sides.
00:55 Human life to me is equal.
00:58 One Jewish life is equal to one Muslim life is equal to one Hindu life and so on.
01:06 I'm just speaking up for those who don't have a voice.
01:12 This is close to my heart.
01:14 When I see thousands of innocent children dying without any repercussions or remorse,
01:22 I imagine my two girls.
01:26 What if this was them?
01:29 No one chooses where they're born.
01:33 And then I see the world turn their backs on them.
01:36 My heart can't take it.
01:38 I already feel my life wasn't equal to others when I was growing up.
01:43 But luckily for me, I never lived in a world where that lack of inequality was life or
01:50 death.
01:56 The ICC have told me that I can't wear my shoes on field because they believe it's
02:00 a political statement under their guidelines.
02:04 I don't believe it is so.
02:06 It's a humanitarian appeal.
02:09 I will respect their view and decision, but I will fight it and seek to gain approval.
02:17 Freedom is a human right.
02:19 [BLANK_AUDIO]