One Olympian in Milan has apparently decided to protest the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency by using unsanitary methods.
British-American freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy posted a picture to Instagram on Wednesday in which he urged his followers to call their senators “to speak up against ICE and put pressure on them during the current DHS funding negotiations.”
The post also showed “F*ck ice” written in yellow snow between two skis.
The full text of the post read:
Hi, my name is [Your Name], and I’m a constituent from [Your City, State].
I’m calling to urge Senator [Name] to refuse to support any final Department of Homeland Security funding agreement that fails to meaningfully rein in ICE and Border Patrol.
Innocent people have been murdered, and enough is enough. We can’t wait around while ICE continues to operate with unchecked power in our communities. Senators still have leverage right now, and Senator [Name] must use it to demand real guardrails and accountability — including getting ICE and CBP out of our communities, ending blank-check funding for brutality, and establishing clear limits on warrantless arrests, profiling, and enforcement at sensitive locations like schools and hospitals.
Please pass this message along to the Senator. Thank you.
An official spokesperson for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) told the Guardian that Kenworthy will not face any disciplinary action for his political protest. Under IOC rules, all athletes “have the opportunity to express their views” during the Games.
Kenworthy, who was raised in Colorado, is making his fourth Olympic appearance. He represented the United States in 2014 and 2018, but switched his team affiliation to Great Britain ahead of the 2022 Beijing Games to compete for the country of his birthplace.