UK Gov’t accused of 'stoking the fire’ of racism in football
The online racial of the England players came after Sunday's, July 11, 2021, defeat by Italy where the matter was described by the team's manager Gareth Southgate as "unforgivable" and "just not what we stand for."
Johnson not doing enough to stop racism
CNN reports that Manager Southgate said, "For some of them to be abused is unforgivable," while speaking at a virtual press conference on Monday.
Reports indicate that before and after Euro 2020 tournament games, the England players have knelt before each of their matches in a display of unity in the fight against racism and inequality; however, the players would be subjected to boos.
Gary A. Neville, former England international, criticised UK Prime Minister Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson aka 'Boris' for not condemning those who booed the players in their battle for equality when he had the chance.
"The Prime Minister said it was ok for the population of this country to boo those players who are trying to promote equality and defend against racism.
"It starts at the very top,” he said.
More Gov’t officials called out
So far, the government of Johnson, along with other lawmakers in his government such as Home Secretary Priti S. Patel, has been called upon to condemn the England fans who have booed players taking the knee before kick-off but failed to do so.
Further, Home Secretary Patel has been accused of “stoking the fire” of racism by an England footballer after players from the national team were racially abused following the Euro 2020 final.
Ms Patel had dismissed the team’s anti-racism protest as “gesture politics” and suggested fans had a right to boo the players if they wanted.
UK Report denied racism
Meanwhile, the new barrage of racism coming out of the UK comes as a 2021 report on race commissioned by the Johnson Government has downplayed the extent of racism in society.
The controversial report, which says the UK "no longer" had a system rigged against minorities, has even led to Prime Minister Johnson’s senior adviser on ethnic minorities resigning.
Samuel Kasumu is known to have been unhappy with the government's stance on racial issues and equality campaigners have criticised the report for downplaying the extent of racism in British society and institutions.
The report has also said that the UK suffering from institutionalised racism was “not borne out by the evidence”, however, that too has been criticised by race equality campaigners as divisive.
Racist CoI?
Meanwhile, the ongoing UK-sponsored Commission of Inquiry, with a one-man Commissioner, has been slammed by some as smelling of racism and colonialism.
Both PM Johnson and ex-Governor Augustus J. U. Jaspert, who called the CoI, have in the past been accused of racism. Johnson's racist comments are well documented online.
Additionally, the UK government saw it fit to call a CoI in the Virgin Islands during the coronavirus pandemic even while dodging one of its own, hypocritically saying it was not the right time due to the pandemic.
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25 Responses to “UK Gov’t accused of 'stoking the fire’ of racism in football”
Many British people of colour are sick of being defined by the US BLM political movement (while of course agreeing that Black Lives Matter and wanting to stamp out racism) which has nothing at all to do with them or their ancestors or experiences. Taking the knee by footballers is meant by them to be anti-racist but because the gesture has the US BLM connotations it has not gone down well with some groups when another gesture Would perhaps be more effective and lose the US poltical element. Then some commentators have sought to conflate the two things in the news.
Unfortunately few people are talking about actually tracking down and prosecuting the vermin who wrote their racist tweets. They have been roundly condemned in the UK.
All you people saying 'the UK is racist' are right in some senses, but you forget the millions and millions of UK people of all colours who are not, who are disgusted by racism.
Stop painting everyone over there, or everyone who is white, as racist. Good people hate the racists, good people are furious at the government ministers now trying to worm their way our of their role in enabling the racist neanderthals.
All issues involve complexity and if you can't handle analysis of the complexities, don't comment, otherwise you're painting an inaccurate picture.