Racism must not be left unchallenged

The recent row that is brewing between Patriot Products, a Powys based online racist novelty shop, and the Premier League and top clubs has taken another turn.

Kick it Out have confirmed that they are now writing to the all the clubs concerned, including Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea. Kick it Out have said they will be asking the clubs to contact their lawyers and have said that they don’t want to see petty racism left unchallenged.

We believe that clubs have a duty to their players and fans, who are from a range of nationalities and ethnicities, to disassociate themselves from all forms of intolerance and hatred. Organisations like Patriot Products are attempting to draw a link between their nasty brand of racialist hatred and non-political bodies like football clubs.

We hope that the strongest possible line will be taken with anybody who seeks to use all embracing images to promote hatred.

Also related:

Mark Collett

Mark Collett, head of publicity at the BNP and editor of Voice of Freedom, the party’s tabloid, and Joey Smith, managing director of the BNP’s record label, Great White Records, appeared in an uncritical interview with BBC Radio 1. When Smith was asked if he considered England Defender Ashley Cole British, he said: “He cannot say that he’s ethnically British.” Smith said that to call non-whites British was to deny “our heritage. It’s taking that away from us.”

But this quote from Collett on inter-racial relationships was the most bizarre: “I would be upset if there were no more giant pandas, I’d be upset if there were no more lions, if there were no more tigers, so equally I’d be upset if white people weren’t here any more.”

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