Taking the Knee | Vital Football

Taking the Knee

S

Sturdy Gill

Vital Squad Member
A lot of news around this at the moment with the booing of the England team prior to KO when taking the knee.
I really don’t have a problem with it at all and if a statement of unity has to be made to improve Equality then why are so many people against it?
People keep saying it’s only a minority but listening to the crowd I don’t believe it is a minority.
Are we really a Country of Knuckle draggers or am I missing something?
 
I don't think any reasonable minded person has a problem with players going on one knee for a few seconds as a protest against racism. However ...... the problem is the BLM tag. I suspect BLM is associated with police taking the knee while policing - statues being toppled - a political movement and so on. My vote would be to carry on taking the knee but revert to the long established 'Kick it Out' campaign.
 
Suffolk Gills said:
My vote would be to carry on taking the knee but revert to the long established 'Kick it Out' campaign.
Click to expand...
Is this not more or less what they have done? The “Black Lives Matter” mantra was dropped in football a while back in favour of “No room for racism”, presumably precisely to disassociate it from the eponymous organisation.
I have mixed feelings about that, “Black Lives Matter” is just a slogan and I don’t see why it should be allowed to be subsumed by an organisation that chose to call themselves by the same name; the phrase doesn’t belong to them.
 
Last edited:
My view is that I believe in freedom of speech as much as possible.
The players have the absolute right to demonstrate if they feel that is what they want to do.
Equally, the paying fans have the absolute right to show their disapproval if they don't agree with it.

I'm not sure how it will play out in the Euros because EUFA have a strict policy of not allowing political statements.
Remember a few years back when the FA had to explain that the Poppy on a shirt wasn't a political symbol.

I'm pretty convinced that rightly or wrongly, if the bending of the knee continues when fans are back in the grounds next season, then the booing will really be ramped up.
 
Paranoid Android said:
Is this not more or less what they have done? The “Black Lives Matter” mantra was dropped in football a while back in favour of “No room for racism”, presumably precisely to disassociate it from the eponymous organisation.
I have mixed feelings about that, “Black Lives Matter” is just a slogan and I don’t see why it should be allowed to be subsumed by an organisation that chose to call themselves by the same name; the phrase doesn’t belong to them.
Click to expand...

Black lives matter as a political organisation was formed in 2013, a long time before players took the knee under the banner of BLM
 
Suffolk Gills said:
I don't think any reasonable minded person has a problem with players going on one knee for a few seconds as a protest against racism.
Click to expand...

I thought it was against racial inequality rather than racism. You have the rather surreal spectacle of Tyrone Mings, Marcus Rashford and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, earning what they earn, protesting in a poor white town like Middlesbrough.

The racist tweets are still happening, so if it is supposed to be against racism it isn't working. As I said on one of the previous threads on this matter, they are stuck now - how can they end it?

I wonder whether any of the other countries in the Euros will kneel?
 
People are linking these protests to the apparent Marxist demands of the actual BLM organisation. However, it’s clear that no player, authority etc taking part is after defunding the police etc, and I can seen nothing to say otherwise.

It’s mainly far right knuckledraggers who are kicking up a fuss making this link. The same people spitting their dummy out each year when James McLean refuses to wear a poppy. Millwall are among the most prominent in being anti-kneeling - they’ve spent the rest of these last decades singing about Harry Roberts being their friend but by all means I would love to hear their opinion on a non-existent debate about police funding.

It’s not about any kind of Marxist protest, that mask just happens to be lying around within reaching range.
 
Trev_GFC said:
It’s mainly far right knuckledraggers who are kicking up a fuss making this link. The same people spitting their dummy out each year when James McLean refuses to wear a poppy. Millwall are among the most prominent in being anti-kneeling.
Click to expand...
The OP was about booing at the England game. I'm not sure it is mainly far right knuckledraggers that are booing there, I think I would need more evidence before coming to that conclusion
 
Trev_GFC said:
People are linking these protests to the apparent Marxist demands of the actual BLM organisation. However, it’s clear that no player, authority etc taking part is after defunding the police etc, and I can seen nothing to say otherwise.

It’s mainly far right knuckledraggers who are kicking up a fuss making this link. The same people spitting their dummy out each year when James McLean refuses to wear a poppy. Millwall are among the most prominent in being anti-kneeling - they’ve spent the rest of these last decades singing about Harry Roberts being their friend but by all means I would love to hear their opinion on a non-existent debate about police funding.

It’s not about any kind of Marxist protest, that mask just happens to be lying around within reaching range.
Click to expand...

I think we can all agree that this whole thing is proving divisive. The question is why continue with these actions , knowing that they are potentially causing problems ?
Do people really want more division ?
 
Trev_GFC said:
People are linking these protests to the apparent Marxist demands of the actual BLM organisation. However, it’s clear that no player, authority etc taking part is after defunding the police etc, and I can seen nothing to say otherwise.

It’s mainly far right knuckledraggers who are kicking up a fuss making this link. The same people spitting their dummy out each year when James McLean refuses to wear a poppy. Millwall are among the most prominent in being anti-kneeling - they’ve spent the rest of these last decades singing about Harry Roberts being their friend but by all means I would love to hear their opinion on a non-existent debate about police funding.

It’s not about any kind of Marxist protest, that mask just happens to be lying around within reaching range.
Click to expand...

How about a bit of positive thinking and footballers, instead of taking the knee which has negative connotations, linked arms around the centre circle to demonstrate solidarity, as a team, against racism .
They could even link arms with the opposition to further demonstrate that they all stand together.
Nobody could possibly boo that.
 
People who try to use the free speech argument to justify the booing should make it clear that they’d be perfectly happy for people to boo during the minutes silence for Remembrance observed near Remembrance Day at football matches. If not I think we can safely assume they’re just racists.
 
Therealwaldo said:
People who try to use the free speech argument to justify the booing should make it clear that they’d be perfectly happy for people to boo during the minutes silence for Remembrance observed near Remembrance Day at football matches. If not I think we can safely assume they’re just racists.
Click to expand...
There would have to be silence for Remembrance before EVERY match to be a fair comparison
 
shotshy said:
Maybe in your mind but to find a correlation between the two possibly is what sets people apart.
Click to expand...

Free speech is free speech. Whether you like what people say or not.

You might not like it if someone is politically motivated to boo a minute's silence, but if people have the right to boo the knee bending because it is 'free speech', then you have to be consistent and extend that right of, 'free speech', to those who might want to boo a minute's silence.

Waldo is completely spot on, it is EXACTLY the same argument.
 
Last edited:
shotshy said:
How about a bit of positive thinking and footballers, instead of taking the knee which has negative connotations, linked arms around the centre circle to demonstrate solidarity, as a team, against racism .
They could even link arms with the opposition to further demonstrate that they all stand together.
Nobody could possibly boo that.
Click to expand...

The clenched fist is more powerful. I'd love it if they all did this instead. It's not BLM so what would the racists argue then...??

black power.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.