NBA player and international fugitive Kanter cheers up Boston protesters

Boston Celtics player and outspoken critic of President Donald Trump Enes Kanter joined protests in Boston and called for urgent change saying, "We are on the right side of history."

Demonstrations were held in many parts of the city in response to George Floyd's killing in Minneapolis and Kanter joined protests near the State House, wearing a Celtics jersey and chanting "I can’t breathe."

Kanter, who is a supporter of the exiled Turkish cult leader Fetullah Gulen, is also known for his vocal support of Hillary Clinton as well as Democrats in the Capitol Hill.

"I want to thank you all for what you are doing. I really appreciate it. The second thing I want to say ... we need change. And change cannot wait, you know. I get emotional, but we are on the right side of history.  You know what? Black lives matter right?" Kanter said, addressing the angry crowd.

Who is Enes Kanter?

Kanter is an avid supporter of the US-based cult leader Gulen and is on Interpol's most-wanted list for terrorism charges.

Gulen is a notorious chief of Fetullah Terrorist Organisation (FETO) which masterminded the defeated coup of 2016 in Turkey.

Kanter is known for his controversial posts on social media, mostly written in Turkish, where he has routinely pledged allegiance to Gulen.

He changed his surname to Gulen, referring to the FETO chief after he was asked by his father in an open letter to "immediately change his surname."

"Kanter uses NBA as a platform for propaganda”

Former NBA star Hidayet Turkoglu highlighted Kanter’s support of the terrorist organisation in a televised ESPN interview.

Turkoglu, better known as "Hedo" by fans, told ESPN reporter Jeremy Schaap and producer Nicole Noren in 2019 that Kanter is using his NBA position as a "platform for the propaganda of a terrorist leader."

Undying loyalty for Gulen

In 2016, Kanter in a letter declared, "God take every second left of my life and give it to my dear leader, Fetullah Gulen."

"I will sacrifice my father, my mother for the Hizmet, for this cause," he announced in another letter.

Hizmet, meaning "service" in Turkish, is another name for Gulen's movement.

His father and family have condemned the player for showing unconditional support for the terrorist organisation, adding that he believes his son was "hypnotised" by the group.

The coup bid by the FETO, which sought to overthrow the democratically-elected Turkish government on July 15, 2016, resulted in at least 250 people being killed and nearly 2,200 wounded.

The cult leader Gulen is accused of a long-running campaign to overthrow the state by infiltrating Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary, forming what is commonly known as the "parallel state."