advertisement


Patel, Johnson, taking the knee and racism

ks.234

ks.234

Half way to Infinity
Patel and Johnson have condemned the racism directed and England’s footballers after the defeat to Italy, but they both encouraged those who booed the players taking the knee. Patel described taking the knee as gesture politics which by definition, makes her subsequent apology gesture politics of the worst, most divisive sort.

Sanjay Bhandari, Chair of Kick It Out, calls Patel’s comments ‘dog whistle politics’ that provide ‘shelter’ for racists

Tyrone Mings said, "You don't get to stoke the fire at the beginning of the tournament by labelling our anti-racism message as 'Gesture Politics' & then pretend to be disgusted when the very thing we're campaigning against, happens."

If you blow the dog whistle, the dogs will bark.

The growth of racism lies squarely at the top of government.

Is it time to unequivocally call out those booing the taking of the knee as the racists they are?
 
I also really don’t like the current attempt by these hypocrites in Downing St to shift the blame onto social media companies. They are not the racists or the ones blowing dog-whistles here. If anything they should be allowed to publish registration emails and IP addresses for any racist content posted so these arseholes can be identified and reported to their employers etc (assuming they are capable of holding a job). We need to fight to protect our rights to use media that is entirely independent of government. They are amongst the few places left from which to speak truth to power and we need to keep the likes of Patel right away from it.

In other related news: the Tory Party are voting to remove the right of universities etc to refuse to platform racists, holocaust deniers, and other extremist hate speech (Guardian). Similarly our basic right to protest on our streets is being removed right before our eyes (Guardian, Amnesty International). All part of the same trajectory towards the far-right and towards extreme state authoritarianism. We are in a position where government dog whistle politics, racism and xenophobia will be mandated by law and any opposition silenced by force.

PS Remember when those of us who fought so hard to remain in the EU said leaving would allow an extremist government to erode human rights and civil liberties? Well, here's Project Reality for you…
 
When the issue of booing the taking of the knee was raised in the football thread and in the woke thread, there was a lot of push back against the assertion that those booing were racist.

So I say again…Anyone booing those making an anti racist gesture, is a racist.
 
Last edited:
Bad enough that a PM and his ministers offer a letter of comfort to those wishing to jeer anti-racism efforts which will be taken as tacit approval by outright racists and ethnic nationalists but far worse that a British PM himself uses racist language- describing black people as pickaninnies.
 
More front pages like this please…

51308416181_73e4ed2f4f_c.jpg
 
Alongside the empowerment of racism in football has come the thuggery and violence on the streets. The two are, I suspect, linked.

That it manifests itself in football is embarrassing for all committed football fans, but because the tendency to racist violence is currently expressing itself in football, does not mean it is confined to football. All sports have their fair share of racism, all aspects of society has its fair share of racism and the potential for that to spill over into that racism being expressed as violence on the streets is rather more pervasive that a single sport.

The taking of the knee is a small, a tiny gesture, but if even that minor act attracts hostility, and that hostility is supported and encouraged at the very top of society and government, then bigger, more serious acts will surely follow.

I hope that the taking of the knee continues in sporting events across the country and I hope that this season that small gesture is greeted with loud and raucous support and that those who boo are called out for the scum they are.

If we want to tackle the violence on our streets we must tackle the racism inside our enclosed space and the question for people like Pritti Patel has to be, ‘do you support this small gesture against racism?’

If the answer is not unequivocal, she is not a supporter of anti racism.
 
ks.234 said:
More front pages like this please…

51308416181_73e4ed2f4f_c.jpg
Click to expand...

I was told METRO was a right-wing paper. A quick Google search says it's part owned by the Daily Mail, so I'd imagine that's true.

I find it strange that they'd run a story like this, but I have noticed a number of my right-wing Facebook friends defend the black footballers who missed the penalties.
 
Fatmarley said:
I was told METRO was a right-wing paper. A quick Google search says it's part owned by the Daily Mail, so I'd imagine that's true.

I find it strange that they'd run a story like this, but I have noticed a number of my right-wing Facebook friends defend the black footballers who missed the penalties.
Click to expand...
Perhaps some of those who defended the booers on here will change their mind too?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


advertisement


Back
Top