October 11, 2012
Tyson visa bid knocked out again
Mike Tyson won’t be speaking to South Auckland youth any time soon.
Associate Immigration Minister Kate Wilkinson has turned down a second visa application for the former world heavyweight boxing champion, saying the Manukau Urban Maori Authority’s support wasn’t enough to get the application over the line.
Tyson needed a special visa because he has served prison sentence for rape.
Mana Party leader Hone Harawira says it was a knee jerk response to media hype.
“I think all of this hype about Tyson is Pakeha media hype, Pakehas making a big fuss about a black guy. We’ve just let in the guy singularly responsible for the murder of more than 100,000 civilians in Afghanistan. That’s Leon Panetta, the Secretary for Defence for the American Government. We not only let him in, we gave him a big pat on the back and made a hero of him, but he’s a killer and he’s never paid for his crimes,” Mr Harawira says.
He says Mike Tyson’s story of turning his life around has lessons for young Maori.