“The knee”

[Awaywego]

Probably most will have heard the Millwall fans reaction to the knee by now, and contrary to what Dion Dublin said about the booing was by a minority having heard it this morning it was much more than a minority. I do not support the knee (though I wouldn’t boo either) nor do I support the rainbow flag and lace day. Racism is abhorrent in any setting, but I go to watch football not to have something thrust at me,booing or turning ones back on the knee as I shall do (or not enter the ground till it’s over)doesn’t mean people are racist. Having not watched a scunny game this year have the players been taking the knee?.

[j charles]

Awaywego, well said my sentiments entirely. I have no intention of being told how to think by anyone.

[j charles]

And yes I believe they have been taking to the knee.

[Northumbiron]

Another “stirring” post Awaywego! Well done!

Why does it bother you? Why does it make you uncomfortable?

It only lasts a few seconds, so why not just ignore it like thousands have ignored racism for the past three hundred years.

[Anonymous]

Personally I don’t see what’s wrong with sending a message of solidarity to players who belong to an ethnicity which has been victimised and racially abused, which still occurs today. I don’t like the enforced nature of it, but there are positives and negatives to anything. I wonder if it’s needed now, since the point has been made and it is unlikely to change anything in of itself, but if players are for sending a gesture of solidarity with black athletes I am not going to complain. There are bigger things to get worked up by than a knee take.

I certainly have nothing against messages like the Rainbow Laces campaign. There will be gay footballers and gay fans out there. Sending a message to a group who have been bullied and abused for their sexuality is good. Things like this mean a lot to those who are gay, and how does it harm anyone else?

Those who get het up about such things need to get a grip.

[Northumbiron]

Anonymous wrote:

I wonder if it’s needed now, since the point has been made

Thing is BRI if it is stopped now then within a short period of time we’ll be back to square one. That’s what’s happened with previous campaigns such as “kick racism out”.

That’s just what the bigots want. For it to stop and not come back.

[SODIron]

Those who watched football back in the ‘not so good days’ will of witnessed countless incidents of racism, homophobia, and a general culture of violence and fear. Thankfully as a sport, we have moved on from those dark days, and I think we can all agree that most right minded people are not in favour of homophobia, racism, sexism, or discrimination of the disabled, vulnerable etc.

I personally have no issue with sportsmen / women taking a knee, or any gesture that supports equality, such as rainbow laces. Whilst I can see how some people *may* take affront at these sort of gestures, I feel it sends an important message to the younger fans out there. White, middle-aged blokes like me, are not likely to be influenced by players taking a knee or wearing rainbow laces, however…a young supporter who looks up to the players on the pitch may well be.

[mistertonmick]

I certainly don’t like racism, but have no idea what the knee achieves, everyone is equal in my eyes but don’t know why we have to do everything the Americans do, surely there has to be a better way.

[Ferrite]

If football and politics should be kept separate, presumably we need to keep all the soldiers & other people in military uniform out of grounds every November.

Politics is part of life, it’s not just what happens in Westminster. Given how our game has been hijacked by people to make a quick buck, I think it’s a good thing that clubs are still doing something to help improve society.

[Awaywego]

I do like uncomfortable subjects to talk about NI, imo the more we talk about them the easier it is to move forward, I must admit it easy for me as I have very little filter,empathy or tact my wife will vouch for that, I just try and get other opinions out there. On subject I would really like to know how many Millwall fans booed been racist or booed because they just don’t like the knee. My big beef is players really condemn fans but don’t say very much when it’s players or ex players who are racist.

[Iron Age]

If you’re not part of the solution, you’re pert of the problem.
We all should look at ourselves to see if we have any discrimination in our make up, I think a lot of us have even if it is only minor.
The very fact that this incident happened at Millwall (no surprise there) shows the need to highlight the problem still.

[Anonymous]

Northumbiron wrote:

BloodyRubbishIron wrote:

I wonder if it’s needed now, since the point has been made

Thing is BRI if it is stopped now then within a short period of time we’ll be back to square one. That’s what’s happened with previous campaigns such as “kick racism out”.

That’s just what the bigots want. For it to stop and not come back.

I agree that there is more which needs to be done.

However, the taking of the knee followed the George Floyd protests in the States. While I don’t have issues with players protesting that myself, I feel like taking the knee has become inseparable from that. With some of the more ideological elements of that alienating the public, and the lack of connection between that and football, I can see why it may irritate, even if it doesn’t do so with me.

Personally, I wonder if another gesture or a refocus of the gesture towards that of tackling racism in football may be more beneficial now.

[MK Iron]

Throwing Millwall out of the League might make the point better.

[j charles]

Mkiron. You will also need to throw West Ham and Colchester out plus whoever refuses to be told how to think by by a terorist organisation during the next couple of weeks. I will not support it in any way and after sixty years an Iron fan would rather stay at home if going down on the knee doesn’t end. Oh and by the way I need advice from you either.

[MK Iron]

I wasn’t aware I was giving you or anyone else any advice.

I thought I was giving an opinion.

Seems to me that after about 5 years of people like Trump, Farage and Johnson telling the western world that racism is OK it’s about time we heard more from people that think it isn’t.

Just my opinion though, you have every right to be as racist as you like.

[Northumbiron]

Awaywego wrote:

My big beef is players really condemn fans but don’t say very much when it’s players or ex players who are racist.

Erm!

The Anton Ferdinand/John Terry incident back in the news this week.

[billpuntonsghost]

Well done Millwall fans.
I hope all football fans follow with the same reaction to the “knee”
BLM is a political movement and trying to say it is statement to unite against racism is nonsense.
I haven’t heard a racist chant at Scunthorpe for decades
The vast majority of fans understand this and booing should be heard up and down the land until this madness is removed from football.

[Anonymous]

I think it’s more likely that players are motivated more by a sense of solidarity with fellow players and a need to tackle racism than to bring around some socialist revolution, as is often levelled at the BLM movement, but maybe they’re one cog in this apparent scheme to bring in the totalitarian state alongside enforced mask wearing (which somehow stops us from being a threat to the state for some reason).

[Northumbiron]

Not a bloody clue have you BS?

[Iron-awe]

Northumbiron wrote:

Not a bloody clue have you BS?

I think you mean the Christian NI, not BS, bill really does appear to have the Devil in him 😈

[Awaywego]

Erm! You know I have broached this subject before NI when the cod player racially abused a Northampton player and only got a 6 week ban, yet fans get banned for years or life,Dublin was calling for the Millwall fans to be banned in Saturday yet we here nothing when it’s a player.

[samways1]

How can anyone support or justify booing an anti-racism gesture?

I’d be horrified and distraught if anyone did this to our players.

You only have to read the comments from the Millwall players to realise how badly it’s affected them.

[Northumbiron]

Iron-awe wrote:

I think you mean the Christian NI, not BS,

Thanks I-A, and apologies to BS. I meant to write BPG of course.

Although I find it all rather bizarre that someone who constantly bleats on about morals can condone such behaviour.

[bartonscorpion]

I appreciate that a few of you are wanting to hear my views on the issues, I have no problem with either black, white, yellow or any other colour of people, in fact I have many friends of each with working all over the world for 40 years. But I would be in agreement for this knee thing to be done once or even for a four week period, but presently is is being done at the start of every football, cricket, rugby, formula 1 racing and many pther sports, in fact it is now being rammed down supporters throats so much that you actually feel a racist if you do not wish to see it every time, I would be more happy with it if the heading was “ALL LIVES MATTER”, I often wonder how Chinese or Asian people think when they see it being performed.

It is similar to the PRIDE events and marches, I have no room for men marrying men or things like that, but have nothing against them doing their thing in either privacy, or as in Hull where they advertise their parades, so anyone like myself can just stay away and let them get on with their beleives, this way we are all happy and it is not being rammed down our throat by taking place in front of people that do not attend. Does anyone actually think that it has any effect what so ever, and if so, how??

Many will agtee with my views, but will not put anything in print because of being affrad of being classed as a racist, when all along we are not, but I do not agree with the supporter that says that he will go into the ground late, just to avoid the knee, he should just attend normally and take no notice of it taking place, after all it only lasts for about ten seconds.

[bartonscorpion]

See what I mean, Northumbiron has had a go at me even though I had not even commented on this subject, thanks for coming to my rescue Iron-awe, hope you are keeping well mate.

Please wait for my comments Northumbrion before you attack me, I am not going to take the knee mate because both my knee’s are in Grimsby Hospitals and it is too painfulto kneel with artificial knee replacements pal. Charlie Williams the first black player in the football league used to take the piss out of racist fans more than they did against him, can aany of you remember him, he was the Doncaster Rovers centre half, a good player and a right good guy, he also had a job as a comedian in the Yorkshire Clubs, but times have changed.

[Ferrite]

bartonscorpion wrote:

It is similar to the PRIDE events and marches, I have no room for men marrying men or things like that, but have nothing against them doing their thing in either privacy, or as in Hull where they advertise their parades, so anyone like myself can just stay away and let them get on with their beleives, this way we are all happy and it is not being rammed down our throat by taking place in front of people that do not attend. Does anyone actually think that it has any effect what so ever, and if so, how??

What ARE you on about? If people should express their love in private, what does that make weddings?

How can somehing be rammed down the throats of people who do not attend?

bartonscorpion wrote:

I would be more happy with it if the heading was “ALL LIVES MATTER”

That is literally the point of BLM. They are saying “all lives matter, including black ones which currently don’t seem to count in the eyes of the law and wider society”. That’s the only point that’s being made: “we want equal treatment”. What’s wrong with that?

[Fifty Pence]

I wonder how bpg would have reacted if the Millwall bigots had booed a player making the sign of the cross.

If “the knee” offends the bigots so much, it seems to be a good thing. It’s not a question, doing it once or for four weeks – it’s until things change.

Pride marches are more pleasant and more inclusive than Britain first, national front marches. It’s not that equality marchers should be behind closed doors, it’s the bigots with their backward views that should come out from their closed mind and see what other people are actually like.

[Ferrite]

The weasel words of the minister who refused to condemn this booing were absolutely appalling. No wonder this country is in such a terrible state with such cowardly, gutless leaders.

[Iron-awe]

BS I remember Charlie Williams talking about his football career in his comedy routine. Personal favourite, ” I wasn’t very good at playing football but I could stop them that were “. Classic fifties centre back comment, wonderful.

[Northumbiron]

bartonscorpion wrote:

See what I mean, Northumbiron has had a go at me even though I had not even commented on this subject,

It was a typo for which I have apologised. Nothing more.

bartonscorpion wrote:

, I would be more happy with it if the heading was “ALL LIVES MATTER”,

This is what some people don’t get. And I had the same discussion with a friend of mine who said the same.

The campaign isn’t about equality, it’s about equity. We have had three hundred years of “only white lives matter”, now it’s payback time.

I bet you’ve never been pulled over by the police whilst driving and asked where you stole the car from. I doubt if you’ve ever suffered prejudice in the workplace because of the colour of your skin.

It is about highlighting injustice. The reason taking the knee is not going to go away is because the problem is not going to go away whilst people persist with this attitude.

I suspect many of those who don’t like it would have no problem about standing for the National Anthem before KO.

[Author]

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