Israeli grandmaster Victor Mikhalevski competes in the
Queenstown Classic International Chess Festival. Photo by
James Beech.
The only Israeli grandmaster competing in the 2009
Queenstown Classic International Chess Festival has been asked
to withdraw by political activist John Minto.
Global Peace and Justice Auckland urged chess player Victor
Mikhalevski to make the "sacrifice" and sit out the
tournament, which began yesterday.
Mr Minto, a GPJA spokesman, wrote to Mr Mikhalevski, saying
the events in Gaza were an "outrage".
In a statement, Mr Minto and fellow GPJA spokesman Mike Treen
said if Mr Mikhalevski did not withdraw, they had asked New
Zealand Chess Federation president and tournament organiser
Paul Spiller to request he step down.
Mr Minto said the letter had been sent a day before the
tournament began but no response had been received from Mr
Mikhalevski or Mr Spiller.
Mr Spiller and Mr Mikhalevski did not want to comment, the
latter saying he preferred to focus on the tournament.
Mr Minto, a major figure in the 1981 Springboks tour protest,
called on Israeli tennis player Shahar Peer to withdraw from
the ASB Classic tournament in Auckland earlier this month.
She declined to do so.
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