Latest news with #antiracism
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
‘It's like clapping for the NHS': Lionesses' decision to stop taking the knee triggers debate
It has been the most visible symbol of antiracism in sport since athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their fists in the 1968 Olympics. Taking the knee was adopted by UK football teams in 2020, after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, having been popularised by Colin Kaepernick and his teammate Eric Reid during a 2016 American football game. But amid debate about its effectiveness in 2025, critics of the gesture may have got their wish. After defender Jess Carter revealed racist social media abuse, England's lionesses said they would not take the knee before the Italy fixture, saying football needed 'to find another way to tackle racism', as colleagues and matchgoing fans rallied around her. Meanwhile it's understood the Premier League is planning to talk to club captains about whether to continue with it next season. Piara Powar, executive director of multinational anti-discrimination organisation Fare, has insisted taking the knee remains a 'powerful antiracist act'. But in a Times radio interview this week, the UK foreign secretary, David Lammy, said the time for taking the knee 'has probably passed'. In Lambeth, south London, a historic centre of Black British life, community organiser Ros Griffiths argues the symbol has been stripped of value, because of the persistence of racial inequality and the lack of 'an inclusive national conversation' on British identity in a diverse country. Griffiths said Black sportspeople in the UK find themselves 'part of the in-group when they were winning, and part of the out-group when they're not'. She said: '(Taking the knee is) a bit like clapping for the NHS, it's just symbolic. For me, it's not about taking a knee and putting your fist up in the air. It's about being committed to dismantling systemic racism. 'In my opinion, things have got worse since George Floyd. Look at the race riots last year. And then I think of Diane Abbott being suspended for nothing else other than having an opinion based on her own lived experience of racism. Is that what we're doing in 2025, really? 'This country has benefited from diversity but still doesn't embrace it. What does it mean to be a British citizen? We've not had that conversation, and it has to start with the education system, so people understand the values and the benefits and it's not about the in-group pushing out the out-group, or the out-group trying to push out the in-group. We don't want any more gestures – we're tired of that.' The football anti-discrimination organisation Kick It Out's last incident report found in the 23/24 season, racism remained the most reported form of discrimination, with an 'alarming 47% rise in racist abuse across all levels of the game', and the number of social media racism reports almost tripling. Taking the knee has been questioned by Black sporting figures. In September 2020 coach and pundit Les Ferdinand said 'taking the knee had been powerful … (but) the message has been lost. Months later, then-Crystal Palace forward said he was 'proud to be black, no matter what' but found the gesture 'degrading'. He added: 'Unless action is going to happen I don't want to hear about it.' On the right, Nigel Farage reportedly reacted to the Lioness's decision with predictable glee this week, having previously claimed the knee 'could not be separated from the Marxist BLM political movement'. In 2021 Tory Dominic Raab said it was 'a symbol of subjugation and subordination', before saying BLM protesters had his 'full respect'. While the frequency of Premier League teams taking the knee has reduced with time, it was typically met with more applause than boos at fixtures, as a gesture of respect, solidarity, antiracism and progress within a sport that had been marred by ugly racism towards players and fans in the 1970s and 80s, with supporters including former England manager Gareth Southgate and the Professional Footballers' Association. The FA says it's working with police and social media companies, adding in a statement: 'We are very concerned about the rise in online abuse and discrimination.' The prime minister, Keir Starmer, whose government is developing a social cohesion project, said he stood with players who had suffered racism. The Labour party has said it cannot comment on Diane Abbott's suspension.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Police dismiss claims they bussed anti-racists to Epping asylum hotel protest
Police have described claims they bussed anti-racism demonstrators to a protest outside a hotel housing asylum seekers as 'categorically wrong' after Nigel Farage and others repeated the allegation. The response from the Essex police chief constable, Ben-Julian Harrington, came as his force said 10 people had now been arrested in connection with violence that erupted after protests outside the hotel in Epping. Police are braced for further protests outside the Bell hotel in the town as early as Thursday evening, and on Sunday. Local people have been involved in the protests – which broke out after an asylum seeker was charged with sexual assault – but far-right activists have played a key role in promoting them online and have been present. The latest clashes took place on Sunday when riot police were once again pelted with projectiles before the area was cleared using a dispersal order. Harrington used a press conference on Wednesday to push back at allegations that counter-demonstrators were being deliberately transported to be close to the protests outside the hotel last Thursday. Farage had earlier called on Harrington to resign and posted footage online that the Reform UK leader claimed was proof the force had 'transported leftwing protesters to the Bell hotel in Epping'. Essex police issued a statement on Wednesday saying officers organised a foot cordon around protesters on their way to exercise their right to protest. Later, some people who were deemed to be at risk when they were surrounded by groups of men who had attacked police were taken away in police vans, but the force said officers 'categorically did not drive any counter-protesters to the site on any occasion'. Harrington used the press conference to address online misinformation about the hotel and the policing operation, urging people to 'consider the consequences in the real world of your actions'. He said the force would act on any evidence provided to it, after it emerged a number of activists from the far-right Homeland party were behind a Facebook group that had been organising protests outside the Bell hotel. 'I have got no information available to me to say that any particular group or person is behind organising this. Clearly where they are we will examine that and identify that and see what offences they commit, whether they should have notified us about a march or procession.' Harrington said the force would also be looking to see whether anyone had been acting to incite violence.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Why England won't take the knee vs Italy following racist abuse of Jess Carter
Lucy Bronze said the Lionesses have decided against taking the knee before their Euro 2025 semi-final against Italy because there is a clear argument the anti-racism message is not 'as strong as it used to be' following the abuse of England defender Jess Carter. Bronze revealed there is 'anger' and 'sadness' in the England camp after Carter spoke out against the 'vile' and 'abhorrent' social media abuse she has received while playing for England at Euro 2025. The Lionesses have gone down on one knee, a symbolic anti-racism gesture, before games since the murder of George Floyd in 2020 but will stand before kick-off against Italy on Tuesday. In a statement, the Lionesses said 'we and football need to find another way to tackle racism' while the anti-discrimination group Kick It Out backed the players' decision and called on social media companies to do more to combat racist abuse. 'It was driven by the group - obviously certain individuals more than others,' Bronze explained. 'I think it was just the fact that we feel as a collective, is the message as strong as it used to be? Is the message really hitting hard? Because to us it feels like it's not if these things are still happening to our players in the biggest tournaments of their lives. 'It's about putting another statement out there to say, it's something that still is a problem, it's something that still needs to be put right. More needs to be done in football, more needs to be done in society. What that is right now as an individual, I don't exactly know.' England manager Sarina Wiegman told the BBC that her players decided to stop taking the knee because its impact was 'not good enough' while defender Alex Greenwood said the anti-racism gesture has "lost its purpose". Lionesses midfielder Georgia Stanway said: 'It's just to change it up. We felt like the knee was just a little bit repetitive, we felt like it's come to a point where the knee isn't doing what we wanted it to do, so now our decision is to stand and hopefully that will bring up more conversation, more change and hopefully get the topic [spoken about].' NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick was the first player to take the knee when he kneeled during the Star Spangled Banner in protest in 2016. It become widespread in football after the murder of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, during an arrest by police in 2020, with England's men's and women's teams taking the knee before the European Championships in 2021 and 2022. While Premier League teams stopped taking the knee before every match in August 2022 – instead selecting specific fixtures and weekends to do so – Women's Super League teams have continued to perform the anti-racism gesture. England's decision to continue taking the knee before Euro 2025 was player-led and was communicated to Uefa, with support from the FA. Bronze agreed that there 'has been change' since the Lionesses first took the knee but added: 'I think the problem is that as the game grows and everything grows, in football and in life, as much as there might be change, there are more outlets for abuse and racism as well. 'It's just not enough. I think that's the point. Not enough is being done. There are small changes being made, there's always small steps forward, but that's the problem. It's always a small step. 'And we don't want it to be small steps anymore. We want it to be 'this is happening, there's change, it's unacceptable', and there's no more small steps, because we get to the point of where it should be in the world, and especially in the world of footballers. 'It feels like there can be a place where we can control abuse online, especially racism online. Everything is monitored online, so it just doesn't make sense to us.' The Football Association (FA) are in contact with the UK police while Bronze also praised Carter's bravery in speaking out against the abuse. The 27-year-old Carter, who has won 49 caps for her country and has played in all four of England's games at Euro 2025, said she would be taking a step back from social media for the rest of the tournament. Bronze, 33, is appearing at her seventh major tournament for England said online abuse in women' football is getting 'worse and worse' as the game receives more attention. Bronze accepted that the growth of women's football since the Lionesses won Euro 2022 is a 'double-edged sword' as it also leaves players open to more abuse. 'I think it's something that I've spoken about before and a lot of other members of the team have spoken about the fact that the bigger the game gets, the bigger the noise becomes, the more fans there are but the more critics there are,' Bronze said. 'We're obviously open to critics, that's why we love the sport, but we're not open to abuse. 'And I think bigger the sport's got, it seems to be that more abuse has come as well and especially in women's football, the online abuse seems to be getting worse and worse. 'We see it more in the stadiums in men's football and online, but I think with women's football there seems to be a real target online. It's something that we're very aware of and I think with online platforms it's something that we can, we can make a change too. I think it's something in the women's game especially. 'I think with online platforms it's something that we can make a change too. I think it's something in the women's game especially. There is a way to make a change. There is a solution. I don't have the answer to that solution because I'm not head of the social media platform, but I'm sure that there is one.' Bronze said she would be supporting the three other Black players in the England team - Lauren James, Michelle Agyemang and Khiara Kheating - after they were forced to see a team-mate suffer racist abuse while playing for the Lionesses at a major tournament. 'I think we all know that any player of colour that's played for England has probably gone through racist abuse,' Bronze said. 'That's a sad fact in this day and age. In terms of emotions yesterday, I think there was a lot of anger, to be honest, because we're having to go through this, because as players we want to stand up and we want to make a change. 'It's anger and sadness that our teammates have gone through this. We don't want it to happen. We want to be focused on the football. We want to be making changes. We want Jess and anybody else who puts on an England shirt to be brave, to be happy when they play for England, to have the fans support through it all. I think there was a lot of sadness, but definitely a lot of anger as well.' A statement from Kick It Out said: 'We send our support to Jess Carter and back her decision to look after her own well-being. It shouldn't come to a point where players feel the need to take this action; they should feel safe while doing their jobs. They should not be exposed to this sickening behaviour, and those responsible should face the strongest possible consequences. 'But responsibility also lies with social media companies. We support players in whatever actions they choose to take to signify their support in the fight against racism, but the focus should be on the reason behind those actions rather than the actions themselves. 'Social media companies have failed to prevent exposure to this toxicity, and football must continue to use its collective power to hold them to account. We have been working with the government and the regulator, but we know that more urgency is needed from everyone involved.'
The Independent
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Lionesses make different gesture in support of Jess Carter after refusing to take knee
The Lionesses bench opted to stand arm-in-arm instead of taking the knee against Italy to show their support to Jess Carter, standing up to the 'ridiculous and disgusting' racist abuse she has been subjected to. Carter spoke out at the abuse she has received throughout Euro 2025 on Sunday, with the 27-year-old deciding to step away from social media and the Football Association working with UK police to identify those responsible for the hateful posts. England's players have been angered by a team-mate suffering racist abuse during the tournament and decided in a meeting on Saturday night that they will not take the knee before kick-off against Italy - ditching the symbolic anti-racism gesture the Lionesses have performed for several years. Carter said she was 'ready to perform' against Italy if required but was dropped to Sarina Wiegman 's substitutes bench in Geneva, with Esme Morgan taking her place in the starting XI. Yet as the game got underway, Carter and her fellow substitutes stood together on the touchline in a new gesture of solidarity against racism. On the decision to not take the knee against Italy, midfielder Georgia Stanway said: "We've decided not to take the knee because we want more action to be made. We want to create more of a talking point and a point to make more change. 'That starts with social media and people having access to be able to do certain things. So our stance and opinion stay the same, and that's what we've decided as a collective.' Stanway also said the Lionesses ' collective response to the abuse suffered by Carter has 'brought us together as a team' and said anyone posting abuse towards players on social media 'are not fans'. Wiegman, meanwhile, was confident the Lionesses will be able to switch their attention to the pitch against Italy, insisting that there was no expectation for them to send a message at kick-off. 'They don't need a message, the team came really well together,' she said. 'We spoke about it, everyone wants to perform tomorrow, but we wanted to address this and send a message to the world. It says a lot about the team." Wiegman is aiming to lead England to a third major final after reaching the finals of the Euro 2022 and the 2023 World Cup, with only Italy standing in the way of a shot at defending their European crown on Sunday.
The Independent
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Ian Wright reacts to England's Jess Carter suffering racist abuse at Women's Euro 2025
Ian Wright maintains 'we can't stop racism' and has urged parents to help make their children resilient after England's Jess Carter suffered racist abuse during the Women's Euro 2025. The Lionesses have decided against taking the knee before their semi-final against Italy following a dramatic penalty shoot-out win over Sweden, arguing that the anti-racism message is not 'as strong as it used to be'. Carter has received widespread support in the camp with Lucy Bronze revealing that there is 'anger' and 'sadness' in the group after Carter detailed how she had been the target of 'vile' and 'abhorrent' social media abuse during the championship in Switzerland. 'Everything that the knee represents, justice, equality, I would still take the knee if I was playing today,' Wright said on ITV Sport. 'In respect of Jess, the support around her, nothing I can say. 'I've said everything I have had to say, nothing gets any better. What I would say now, prepare your children and family, make them resilient. 'It's going to come. I would urge people to get your kids resilient and build resilience against [racism], it's always going to happen. We can't stop it.' The Lionesses released a statement, insisting that 'we and football need to find another way to tackle racism' while the anti-discrimination group Kick It Out backed the players' decision and called on social media companies to do more to combat racist abuse. While Bronze added: 'It was driven by the group - obviously certain individuals more than others. I think it was just the fact that we feel as a collective, is the message as strong as it used to be? Is the message really hitting hard? 'Because to us it feels like it's not if these things are still happening to our players in the biggest tournaments of their lives. It's about putting another statement out there to say, it's something that still is a problem. 'It's something that still needs to be put right. More needs to be done in football, more needs to be done in society. What that is right now as an individual, I don't exactly know.' England manager Sarina Wiegman told the BBC that her players decided to stop taking the knee because its impact was 'not good enough' while defender Alex Greenwood said the anti-racism gesture has "lost its purpose". Lionesses midfielder Georgia Stanway said: 'It's just to change it up. We felt like the knee was just a little bit repetitive, we felt like it's come to a point where the knee isn't doing what we wanted it to do, so now our decision is to stand and hopefully that will bring up more conversation, more change and hopefully get the topic [spoken about].'
