2GB’s Erin Molan threatened by ex-NRL star after ‘racist’ comments

The fallout after comments made by Erin Molan, in which she appeared to mock the names of Pacific Islander NRL players, continues to escalate.

While hosting 2GB’s Continuous Call Team with Darryl Bohman and Mark Levy, Molan put on an accent and said “hooka looka mooka hooka fooka”, which sparked a backlash on social media.

But that hasn’t stopped Molan from being labelled a “racist” on social media, with former NRL member John Hopoate responding on Instagram with a since-deleted post.

“when I accidentally trip this RACIST B***H over and she falls and scrapes her RACIST mouth on the ground. But I won’t apologise cause it’s an inside joke,” he wrote, according to Mumbrella.

Current Manly player Martin Taupau had a more measured response to Molan’s slip-up, saying it is “understandable for our non-Pasifika community attempting to properly announce our names”.

However, “to disrespect and make a mockery of former/current Pasifika players in the NRL like how you carried on is DISGRACEFUL! My grandfather would be tossing in his grave in anger!”

“An inside joke? Show some respect!” added Cronulla forward Braden Hamlin-Uele.

https://twitter.com/MartyKapow/status/1268819295611437082

Molan has found an ally in Kerri-Anne Kennerly, with the Studio 10 host telling The Daily Telegraph that Molan “is not a malicious person and wouldn’t do anything deliberately hurtful”.

“That’s disgraceful. I know her and I really like her. For any boofhead to come out and suggest violence against any woman … that behaviour has to be called out,” she said.

Kennerley, who has previously been accused of racism by the 3pm Pick-Up’s Yumi Stynes, claimed: “the people who are so politically correct are the most intolerant people of anyone else.”

There is now a petition to have Molan removed from her role with the Nine Network, and it has picked up almost 2,500 signatures at the time of writing.

“Polynesians who represent about 45 per cent of players in the National Rugby League competition deserve basic respect and shouldn’t be subjected to inadvertent racism. Instead being empowered to be proud of their names, ancestors and culture,” reads the petition.

Listen to the original audio of the incident below:

Hey, @Erin_Molan! KEFE!

Our names are not jokes… EVER!

But what else would you expect from the cuntry that gave us Jonah From Tonga. pic.twitter.com/W6Lbgj2F38

— Michel Mulipola (@bloodysamoan) June 5, 2020