Send red card message to racists

Football is among the most powerful cultural forces in the UK, and so has the potential to change society in ways we might not even begin to imagine.

Show Racism the Red Card, an educational charity which Unite has long supported, has embraced football as vehicle for change in order to combat what Unite general secretary Len McCluskey called “one of the greatest evils of our time” — racism.

The Show Racism the Red Card (SRtRC) campaign was formed in 1996 to use footballing role models to enlist young people in anti-racism drives.  Previous stars on the SRtRC team sheet include Thierry Henry, Ryan Giggs and Samuel Eto’o.

The charity goes out into communities, classrooms and football clubs and educates roughly 50,000 schoolchildren each year in England, Wales and Scotland about racism.

Now, in addition to enlisting the support of professional footballers, it reaches out to musicians, comedians and writers, to act as role models for the kids. It also works with trade unions, including Unite, to combat racism in the workplace.

The charity has expanded its work over the years and now also focuses on fighting anti-immigration sentiment, Islamophobia and most recently, homophobia.

Show Racism’s UK government funding was cut in March, and now the charity, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, is fighting to keep on doing the work it has done so well for so long.

The charity’s Wear Red Day, held on October 21, is a fundraising event that SRtRC hopes will bring publicity to their anti-racism work, which chief executive Ged Grebby said is needed now more than every before.

“There was a huge rise in hate crime just after the EU referendum,” he explained. “Although we as an organisation saw it come well before then, it was that vote that brought it all to the fore.

“Based on what they’re constantly fed in the media, it’s not surprising that young people blame immigrants for so many problems,” Grebby added. “We’ve got to try to explain that immigration is a positive thing; it’s benefited our country. It’s been a huge plus not just economically but socially and culturally.”

Grebby notes that for only five pounds a day, the charity is able to educate one young person for an entire day.

“That’s a full day with an education worker and an ex professional footballer,” he said.

The Wear Red Day campaign was launched in September at a special event at Unite’s headquarters in London, which was attended by football greats such as Chris Kamara, Paul Elliot CBE and Rachel Yankey.

Paul Elliot, a former Chelsea player who was the iconic team’s first black captain explained why he thought Show Racism the Red Card’s work was so important.

‘Amazing power’

“Football in terms of education is a global sport,” he said.  “It’s got an amazing power. So when you align football with education, it’s even more powerful. The way that Show Racism does it, education and football, that’s the mix that works. Both football and education are a reflection of society and so using it as a tool to combat racism is incredibly effective.”

Elliot noted that even though racism was so much more blatant when he played decades ago, it still very much exists to this day.

“When I was playing football, you had discrimination by virtue of your color,” he argued. “Whereas now, there’s so many other versions of discrimination that have emerged. There’s xenophobia, homophobia, Islamophobia. Society has evolved and so the challenges have evolved. And that’s why Show Racism is fantastic — because they’ve evolved to meet the challenges of the 21st century.”

Chris Kamara, an ex-football player and manager who now works as a presenter and football analyst for Sky Sports, told UNITElive that although racism isn’t a problem that will “ever be cured altogether”, with football and the work of organisations like SRtRC, “you can improve it.”

Kamara noted that when he was younger, it was very strange to see black or Asian people going to football matches but now “it’s just so cosmopolitan”.

“Footballers are now accepted for their ability and not their appearance and that’s why football is a good transmitter to send out the anti-racism message,” he argued.

Arsenal and England player Rachel Yankey, who is the most capped player ever to play for England, agreed with both Kamara and Elliot that the ‘beautiful game’ has such a powerful influence on people from all walks of life.

“It’s such a powerful sport that people not only play but also support, so it’s an effective way for role models in football to show that it’s not okay to make anyone feel unhappy because their race,” she noted. “It’s a powerful message that young people will listen to.”

She urged everyone to get involved in Wear Read Day on Friday (October 21).

 

“It’s supporting a good cause,” Yankey said. “At some point you’re going to know someone in your life of a different culture or ethnicity so even if you aren’t a minority you know someone who is — racism is an issue that touches all of us.”

Unite general secretary Len McCluskey spoke at the launch of Wear Read Day and hailed the work that Show Racism does.

“The truth of the matter is that until such times as we get rid of racism in our communities, we’ll still have it in football,” he said.  “But to use it in the way that Show Racism does, it’s magical to see them debating the issues and challenging the issues — it’s a wonderful organisation.”

McCluskey explained why Unite is such a stronger supporter of the organisation and why trade unions should be at the forefront of fighting racism.

“A central theme of everything we do as a union is about equality and fighting for equality,” he said.

“What Show Racism the Red Card does is working  — young kids are challenging their own parents about racism and some of our members are reporting back to their shop stewards saying that they made an impression on us. They’re doing a fantastic job. Racism is one of the greatest evils — if not the greatest evil — in our society and we have to fight it.”

Pictured are commentator Chris Kamara, Len McCluskey and PFA equalities officer Terry Angus. Photo by Mark Thomas

Find out more about Wear Red Day, and how you can get involved, here.