(JTA) — A Hungarian martial arts fighter was disinvited from a tournament in Prague because of his Nazi tattoos, including one reading “death to the Jews.”
Some sponsors of the Heroes Gate event told organizers that Attila Petrovszki was not allowed to attend the May 17 event because he had a tattoo of Adolf Hitler and a swastika on his body and the anti-Semitic words, Radio Prague reported.
The event’s promoter, Ladislav Kutil, told Radio Prague that the fighter’s appearance had been canceled due to “media pressure” on Heroes Gate and its sponsors, which include gyms, car dealerships and Pepsi. The poster also carries the logos of the City of Prague and Czech Television.
Heroes Gate released a statement claiming that Petrovszki’s Hungarian agent had assured them the fighter was no longer an active neo-Nazi and that the tattoos were the result of a troubled youth.
The agent said Petrovszki through kickboxing was taking his life in a new direction, which the promoters said was what martial arts are all about.
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