tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53405454168129175342024-03-18T20:04:34.124-07:00Love Football, Hate Racism UKCampaign to kick the ugliness of racism out of the beautiful game of football. Consortium of Liverpool and National Black and Anti- Racism Organisations.
Email: blackorgsconsortium@gmail.comLee Jasperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03941960163596740027noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5340545416812917534.post-91482440625485351132014-01-25T20:20:00.001-08:002014-01-25T20:20:26.734-08:00Why Blog?<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/dys9UIjjV20" width="459"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5340545416812917534.post-45997093887541538822012-08-06T00:16:00.001-07:002012-08-06T00:16:06.032-07:00From Head Teacher To Coffee Lady 08/06 by free2live2 | Blog Talk RadioLiving life on your terms with a can do attitude is an exact science. Tune in and hear how at 8 p.m. tonight. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/free2live2/2012/08/06/from-head-teacher-to-coffee-lady#.UB9u24FNXRI.blogger">From Head Teacher To Coffee Lady 08/06 by free2live2 | Blog Talk Radio</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5340545416812917534.post-48025732472194098302012-05-14T10:01:00.000-07:002012-05-15T09:32:24.217-07:00Love Football Hate Racism: progress being made<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.45pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span id="yui_3_2_0_1_13370127430661977" style="color: #1f497d;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><strong>"A letter was received from 10 Downing Street today acknowledging our report and the intention to have our views shared with the Department for Culture Media and Sport, you can read the full report below".</strong></span> </span></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.45pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0bFvMOZBBR8KYJApiOqLFBRvT-kdyb6zoCUTzvDN2kXAXcx_2v5IJUyc_gKykO8Byzmrtj_B7F86voPHQLTrtZ0UN3mAoGIuRFuy8vT6P4kLKg_hHLvfwptaYLTiOwxWKTB0-E9GJiwcW/s1600/lIVERPOOL%252520UNITY%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0bFvMOZBBR8KYJApiOqLFBRvT-kdyb6zoCUTzvDN2kXAXcx_2v5IJUyc_gKykO8Byzmrtj_B7F86voPHQLTrtZ0UN3mAoGIuRFuy8vT6P4kLKg_hHLvfwptaYLTiOwxWKTB0-E9GJiwcW/s1600/lIVERPOOL%252520UNITY%255B1%255D.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.45pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.45pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.45pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.45pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Racism in Football:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Liverpool Football Club and Impact of The Handling of</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="color: #333333;"> </span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";">Luis Suárez in Liverpool</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"></span></b></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.45pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.45pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Introduction and Main Findings</span></b></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.45pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Football is a cultural and sporting</span><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> phenomenon</span><span lang="EN" style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> that is global in its appeal. Li</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="color: #333333;">v</span></span><span lang="EN" style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">erpool Football Club is a global brand that can influence both behaviors and attitudes of millions of football fans worldwide. Not only does the club have a great global influence it can influence what happens on pitches across</span><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> Britain</span><span lang="EN" style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> every weekend. With such great power comes great responsibility. </span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Our genuine concern is that in the context of increasing austerity and economy that is in decline the potential for racism on the terraces and in society in general increases.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Liverpool is a city that is home to the longest established Black<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5340545416812917534#_edn1" name="_ednref1" style="mso-endnote-id: edn1;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[i]</span></span></span></span></a> and Chinese community, a city with diverse multi racial communities<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5340545416812917534#_edn2" name="_ednref2" style="mso-endnote-id: edn2;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[ii]</span></span></span></span></a> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Helvetica", "sans-serif";">(Costello, 2001)</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">. The city is making greater efforts to improve community cohesion and improve race equality. Statistical evidence however shows matched against the demographics of Liverpool’s black community; such communities have little political or civic influence (currently we have 2 black</span><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"> councillors</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"> and one</span><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"> Asian councillor</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a result they do not occupy senior or strategic roles in any significant numbers in terms of their employment within both private and public sectors<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5340545416812917534#_edn3" name="_ednref3" style="mso-endnote-id: edn3;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[iii]</span></span></span></span></a> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5340545416812917534#_edn4" name="_ednref4" style="mso-endnote-id: edn4;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[iv]</span></span></span></span></a>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">There is evidence of poor performance in education for some sections of black communities, notably those who are described as Liverpool born black.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>EMTAS reported that students gaining </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">5+ A*-G grades there was an improvement of five per cent on 2009 and Black and racial minority pupils are now only one per cent behind the overall city result, narrowing the gap by four per cent<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5340545416812917534#_edn5" name="_ednref5" style="mso-endnote-id: edn5;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[v]</span></span></span></span></a>. Due to the diversity of racial communities evidence and documentation is questionable. School outcomes have also led to </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">low level entry into universities particularly locally<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5340545416812917534#_edn6" name="_ednref6" style="mso-endnote-id: edn6;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">[vi]</span></span></span></span></a>. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Black people are notably employed in the council. The council in May 2010, recorded </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">8577 employees of which 174 (2%) were from BAME groups and 6386 (75%) were White.</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"> In </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">18 of the Liverpool Council’s 22 departments, the maximum percentage of BAME employees is 2.9%, rounded up to 3% i.e. 3 BAME workers out of every hundred Council employees. </span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The highest percentage of BAME employees in any Council department is 6.1%,</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">in the Children & Social Care department.</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"> Notably, there are no BAME</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> employees at a strategic level in Corporate Services, Leadership Group, Liverpool First and Merseyside policy Unit<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5340545416812917534#_edn7" name="_ednref7" style="mso-endnote-id: edn7;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[vii]</span></span></span></span></a>. BAME’s </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">tend to be represented in the arts and culture industry when working in the city.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Relations have improved between the Merseyside Police and black communities though they still feature disproportionately in rates of stop and search.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Per 1,000 of the population, Black people were stopped and searched 6.0 times more than White people in 2006/07. This rose to 7.0 times in 2009/10 when referring to the rate per 1,000 of the population. Overall, there were more arrests per 1,000 population of each BME groups (except for Chinese or Other) than for people of White ethnicity in 2009/10. Per 1,000 of the population, Black people were arrested 3.3 times more than White people, and those from the mixed ethnic group 2.3 times more. A higher percentage of those in the BME groups were sentenced to immediate custody for indictable offences than in the White group in 2010<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5340545416812917534#_edn8" name="_ednref8" style="mso-endnote-id: edn8;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[viii]</span></span></span></span></a>.</span></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<div style="mso-element: endnote-list;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">There is a consensus in the city that although we have come a long way we are not yet at a place where racism can be consigned to the history book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The events that have followed the </span><span class="yiv417830820apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">responses of Liverpool Football Club (LFC) to the findings by the FA regulatory commission that determined Luis Suárez was guilty of racially insulting the Manchester United player, Patrice</span></span><span class="yiv417830820apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"> Evra</span></span><span class="yiv417830820apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"> have collectively undermined race relations in the city of Liverpool. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">LFC’s public displays of support for a player found guilty of racist abuse and his subsequent refusal to shake the hand of</span><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> Evra</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> at a recent game were actions that could be considered as inciting racial intolerance. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">LFC’s failure to</span><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> apologise</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> for racism either through the club or Suárez or acknowledge communities who have come together as a consortium to assist has compounded the issues. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The city has remained largely in a defensive mode in relation to acknowledging any wrong doing. Liverpool’s civic leaders, many of whom have remained silent on these critical issues, have failed to publicly condemn LFC’s decision not to robustly and effectively challenge racism.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Despite repeated attempts LFC has failed to engage with local communities at a strategic level resisting the obvious benefits for all concerned. It prefers instead to</span><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> utilise</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> the skills and expertise of individuals nationally with no local connection as a means of circumventing local accountability. LFC sees the generic promotion of football with communities as fulfilling its commitment tackling racism in football. As such the club has decided not to engage with the authentic and credible strategic leadership offered locally and nationally by the Consortium of Liverpool National Black and Antiracist Organisations. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">LFC does not seem to have any insight or understanding about why its refusal to engage with national and local leadership in favour of the local council and a national charity is both divisive and essentially undermining of local community cohesion. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Such intransigence, we believe is unacceptable. Clubs have to work in partnership with local communities not simply seek to ignore important critical voices and genuine local concern. The habit of viewing the council, as the solitary and exclusive voice for the black communities who live with the daily and on going consequences of racism must change. This must change if there is to be genuine dialogue and partnerships in effectively tackling racism in football and more generally in society</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">By failing to provide robust anti-racist leadership, the club has let down many of its fans, both black and white. In a city that is home to a rich cultural mix of indigenous and migrant communities from a wide variety of backgrounds, clear leadership on this issue is critical.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">This should be easy: the club has a proud history and a positive role to play in shaping and leading the city's ambition to welcome all regardless of race or faith.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Key Messages and Recommendations</span></b></div>
<ol style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">That LFC publicly accept the findings of the FA into the Suárez case. </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">That LFC and Suárez publicly apologize to Patrice Evra. </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">That LFC in partnership with Liverpool and national black and racial minority organisations commit to and sponsor an international conference on the issue of eradicating racism in football. </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">That civic leaders’ in addition to LFC sign up to a public declaration reaffirming their commitment to combating racism and promoting race equality through pro active actions. </span></li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Background</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The city of Liverpool has the oldest black community in Europe, dating back more than two and a half centuries with many present before the city's trading of slaves. It also boasts the oldest Chinese community and through its sea port welcomed visitors from far and wide that has resulted in a diverse multiracial community. Indeed it is one of the longest established multi-racial communities in the country. Race relations have historically been fraught, marked by significant events such as the 1919 riots, racial murders, and the 1981 uprisings of black and white communities over police harassment.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Things had nevertheless been improving recently with some improvements as a result of the Capital of Culture, where you now see the presence of Black employees that were until recently absent from city centre employment in the most basic of jobs. The numbers of BAME councillors has increased to 3 on the council with Labour claiming that more are being prepared, a direct result of the investment and work of Operation Black Vote’s Councillor Shadowing Scheme. The largest employer of these groups is the city council though there is evidence that they occupy the lower ranking positions and as such have very little influence in how the city is run.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Plans are in place through various routes to challenge the chronically low black youth employment in the city, the unacceptably small numbers of Black teachers and low levels in the senior management team<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5340545416812917534#_edn1" name="_ednref1" style="mso-endnote-id: edn1;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[i]</span></span></span></span></a>, the disproportionately low numbers of local people who go onto university and those who continue to not achieve 5 A-C at GCSE level on leaving school. The live issue of underachievement and exclusion experienced by the indigenous black population who are 3rd and 4th generation, Liverpool born black people is yet to be fully acknowledged and addressed. There are pockets of success for Black communities notably in the arts sector.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Despite the great efforts by the city to address its race issues and that of the new Labour administration, the symptoms of these circumstance help us to understand why Liverpool Football Club's handling of the Luis Suárez/Patrice Evra affair is a defining moment in the history of the city. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">There is deep unease about the way in which the club have handled the original incident and its aftermath, and many residents are concerned that the club's actions may encourage racism. It is thought by many in the Black community that Liverpool as a city has failed in its efforts to put in place a robust strategic leadership strategy that will adequately address this. The consequences of this failure are profound for local communities and football in general.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Key Areas of Note</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Event</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">: The issues of concern for racial equality campaigners began with the wearing of T-shirts supporting</span><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> Suárez</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> by his club mates, and culminated in Kenny</span><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> Dalglish</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> justifying the choice with local media carrying this story. Local media failed to provide an alternative to this position.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Result:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Conflicted with anti-racism practice and confused the zero tolerance messages that LFC have given out in the past. This was seen by many in the city as an endorsement for a player who was found guilty of racially insulting behaviour. Fans started to wear </span><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Suárez</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> masks and T-shirts and they become a symbol to abuse black and racial minorities locally. This negatively impacted on young people’s attitudes to dealing effectively with racism on and off the football field.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Event:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Consistent denials that the use of the word “negro” was insulting and the public of Liverpool over indulged with communications in the media and the local press that supported this. Local press refused the other version from local people. LFC called on John Barnes to support the denial of racism, he was given air time on local radio, a video was aired for 2 hours by LFC showing a fan making monkey gestures. Another Black player, Glen Johnson also spoke to undermine any complaints leveled at LFC.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Result:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Undermined the belief that racism occurred. A loss of confidence in black communities locally and nationwide that now became confused or felt they were conflicted about the issue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Resulted in the creation of divides amongst communities on both sides of what was now becoming a contentious issue. Many felt that they could not speak out, constrained by being in the minority in the city, their employment in the council or fear. There was a general belief that this was the standard and expectation that black communities would not be influential or listened to and considered the norm in the city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Event</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">: Oldham FC player Tom Adeyemi made an allegation that he was racially abused at the FA cup tie by a Liverpool FC fan in Anfield. He alleges he was called a Black bastard this was supported by a LFC fan.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Result:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has said the fan will not be charged. There was "insufficient evidence" to bring criminal charges as the enhanced CCTV footage and the high proportion of witness statements tended to support the suspect's version of events. The confidence of black communities particularly in the city was lowered with a growing discontent across some sections of the city. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Event:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> At a match between LFC and Manchester United</span><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> Suárez</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> refused to shake the hand of Evra. Initially LFC refused to say there was any wrong doings however their sponsors, Standard Charter who are have significant influence in Africa, Asia and Middle East threatened their withdrawal unless they issued a statement.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Result:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> This statement neglected to make any reference to racism or an apology to</span><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> Evra</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> for any offence caused. Instead the statement was generic in its apology and</span><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> generalised</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> the issue to that of a refusal to perform a handshake.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Event:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>LFC and Spanish goal keeper</span><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> Pepe</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Reina featured in an advert for Groupama Seguros –Insurance Company that was aired in Spain. Operation Black Vote a member of the consortium contacted the company via their publicist to make an official complaint.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Result:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> The advert was removed as a result of OBV interventions. To date, neither Liverpool FC, nor Reina has issued a statement on this issue reinforcing the growing perception of LFC as a club that is failing to take racism seriously. As a result there has been an increasing intolerant atmosphere in the city.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Event: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Numerous commentators wrote to the local press to bring some balance to the communications they were excluded. Local radio to some extent allowed an alternate view. An approach was by Teach Consultancy Ltd through a letter to LFC offering pro bono leadership support. The Anthony Walker Foundation made a statement that lessons were to be learned and offers of support were made.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Result</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">: LFC ignored all attempts to assist them at a strategic level by organisations who notably were specifically members of Liverpool’s indigenous communities whose leadership, knowledge and expertise positioned them centrally in this discussion.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Event:</b> Liverpool Black Leadership Forum approached civic and political leaders to support a joint approach to LFC.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Result:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> Claims of private talks, not their responsibility and evidencing what they had done in challenging racism. No realization that there was a need for strategic leadership to take responsibility that was of city wide importance.</span></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Event:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>18 organisations, locally and nationally from multi- racial communities, formed the Consortium of Liverpool National Black Antiracist Organisations. The </span><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">organisations</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> signed up to a letter containing a statement of intent and 4 requests to LFC with an invitation to meet. They used the media to bring some balance to what people heard and seen in the public domain that was particularly unbalanced and biased in the city of Liverpool. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Result:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> LFC sent a letter back to the consortium that further denied that there was anything wrong in terms of how they led in response to the FA findings. They refused to accept that an apology for the racist actions of Suárez was required and that their failure to do so was unacceptable. Neither had they at any point communicated or acknowledged that racism was a factor that should have been publically acknowledged. LFC refused to sign up to any of the requests or meet to discuss a way forward. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Blogs, twitter and Face book were awash with people purporting to be LFC fans or individuals in their own right, making derogatory statements, threats of violence and other unsavoury communications and allegations to members of consortium on LFC and other forums. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Such was the vile comments Love Football Hate Racism facebook page was removed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An online petition was set up to communicate the forums requests and win support for their cause. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Event:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Another letter sent by the consortium to LFC to point out why their initial response was unsatisfactory and calling for a meeting. Liverpool’s leaders remained silent until a twitter response by MP Steve Rotheram conflicted with the earlier communication of Labour and Council Leader, Cllr Joe Anderson who had endorsed his commitment to challenge racism and encourage LFC to do so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A letter of complaint was sent to the Labour Leader of the Opposition Dave Milliband and to MP Steve Rotheram about the latter’s advice to the public. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">His advice in a twitter response in relation to the Consortium was that LFC supporters should “ignore people intent on causing trouble.” </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Steve Rotherham, sent a letter of apology and<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>went on to suggest that the problem of racism in Liverpool and at the club is overstated adding that “anyone who suggests racism continues to be a problem are doing so for totally nefarious motives and are damaging the reputation of the city.” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Result:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> The consortium received an apology from Mr Rotherham MP in a written letter. The apology fell short in that the MP’s response failed to understand or acknowledge that racism exists in Liverpool and LFC and is at the heart of the problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He failed to understand that you cannot draw a line under an issue you have yet to acknowledge. The consortium felt that his comments were both deeply divisive and offensive.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The consortium felt it unhelpful at that stage to continue with the energy required to enlighten Steve, preferring to thank him for his apology and invite him to the round table discussions set up by the consortium. Here he could have the opportunity to hear why we believe his response was fundamentally mistaken in both his analysis and conclusion. He refused this offer giving no reason. </span></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Event:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> LFC refused to come to the round table advising us that they would listen and work with others notably Sporting Equals, who have no links, lived experience or knowledge of the city and those already invited to the roundtable the consortium had organised. In addition they stated that they would look to Liverpool City Council for leadership on the issues we raised. We noted to LFC that to date LFC had not worked with local communities at a strategic level it had always been at grass root levels which in our view limits the capacity of meaningful engagement at a leadership level.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Result:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> We responded by outlining what is considered to be good anti racist practice relating to how LFC could work with local communities at both a grass roots and a strategic level. We noted to them that the Council is in our view an important partner but their involvement cannot be at the expense of both the active involvement and effective partnerships with local communities. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The council understood this and have endorsed this by meeting with the consortium and, signing up to points 3 and 4 of the statement of intent. They also give their commitment to sponsor the request for an international conference and leading appropriately and in the spirit of respectful community anti racist engagement. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Event:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> A round table event took place</span><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> organised</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> by the consortium, which included religious leaders, leaders of the council a Black city</span><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> councillor</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> and representatives from black and white communities locally and nationally. It was agreed that a joint statement would be sent to LFC to encourage them to engage with the consortium and the attendees of the roundtable. The purpose being to work through the requests within the statement of intent and concerns flagged up in communications and at the round table. We are waiting for confirmation that the council are signing up to this. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Result:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Pending.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Conclusion</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Tackling racism in football should result in effective and specifically anti racist community strategies being developed in partnership with local black and ethnic minority communities that celebrate racial diversity of both local clubs and the cities in which they are based. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Generic football sports development promotion and training is to be welcomed. It cannot though substitute for a clear strategy and campaign that effectively educates on the issue of why racism is wrong and celebrates the diverse contribution black communities’ make to local clubs and cities. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Football is uniquely placed as the nation’s most treasured sport to make a real and substantive difference in contributing to the general education and leadership alongside and in partnership with other local stakeholders in challenging racism and equality for all. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">3<sup>rd</sup> April<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2012.</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Report Authors: Gloria Hyatt MBE and Lee Jasper </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Consortium of Liverpool National Black and Antiracist Organisations</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">To Contact:</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="mailto:Blackorgsconsortium@gmail.com"><span style="color: blue;">Blackorgsconsortium@gmail.com</span></a> </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://lfhruk.blogspot.com/">http://lfhruk.blogspot.com/</a> </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Tele: 0151 726 0903 for Gloria Hyatt or 07984181797 for Lee Jasper </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
References:</div>
<div style="mso-element: endnote-list;">
<div id="edn1" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<div class="MsoEndnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5340545416812917534#_ednref1" name="_edn1" style="mso-endnote-id: edn1;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[i]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> The term ‘black’ is a political term. It refers to African, Asian, Caribbean and other ethnic minorities.</span></div>
</div>
<div id="edn2" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5340545416812917534#_ednref2" name="_edn2" style="mso-endnote-id: edn2;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[ii]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> Costello R (2001) Black<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"> Liverpool. The Early History of Britain’s Oldest Black Community 1730-1918. </span>Picton Press: Liverpool</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div id="edn3" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<div class="MsoEndnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5340545416812917534#_ednref3" name="_edn3" style="mso-endnote-id: edn3;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[iii]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Liverpool Council website (2010) <i>Workforce Ethnicity data </i>February 2010</span></div>
</div>
<div id="edn4" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<div class="MsoEndnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5340545416812917534#_ednref4" name="_edn4" style="mso-endnote-id: edn4;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[iv]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Race For Opportunity (2008)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Race To The Top: The Place for Ethnic Minority Groups In The UK Workforce</span></div>
</div>
<div id="edn5" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<div class="MsoEndnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5340545416812917534#_ednref5" name="_edn5" style="mso-endnote-id: edn5;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[v]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> <a href="http://www.liverpool.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/support-for-ethnic-minorities/how-emtas-has-helped-pupils/">http://www.liverpool.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/support-for-ethnic-minorities/how-emtas-has-helped-pupils/</a></span></div>
</div>
<div id="edn6" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5340545416812917534#_ednref6" name="_edn6" style="mso-endnote-id: edn6;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[vi]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> <i>Joanne Moore & Felicity Dunworth</i><b> </b>January 2011<b> </b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Review of Evidence from<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Aimhigher Area Partnerships of the Impact of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Aimhigher<b> </b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div id="edn7" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<div class="MsoEndnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5340545416812917534#_ednref7" name="_edn7" style="mso-endnote-id: edn7;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[vii]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Liverpool Council website (2010) <i>Workforce Ethnicity data </i>February 2010 </span></div>
</div>
<div id="edn8" style="mso-element: endnote;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5340545416812917534#_ednref8" name="_edn8" style="mso-endnote-id: edn8;" title=""><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[viii]</span></span></span></span></span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> "Statistics on Race & the Criminal Justice System 2010 and A ministry of Justice publication of the Criminal Justice Act 1991 (Published October 2011)</span></div>
</div>
<br /></div>
</span>Lee Jasperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03941960163596740027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5340545416812917534.post-3889548863582678422012-04-05T03:48:00.001-07:002012-04-05T03:48:50.437-07:00Liverpool's Black Experience in 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijy2cHvveDcecxnWToUP8WAcjkUcQQ-aY6ruI_AGY7tn1A_FLMhw-fjRWzPpoaK6aL3rohVBY7wDQu73L3Zu2llFbXovrQv4xh-Qlds937wJX8AvNWIKUnlbIhC-dASIPH902EHC-IuyHj/s1600/liverpool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijy2cHvveDcecxnWToUP8WAcjkUcQQ-aY6ruI_AGY7tn1A_FLMhw-fjRWzPpoaK6aL3rohVBY7wDQu73L3Zu2llFbXovrQv4xh-Qlds937wJX8AvNWIKUnlbIhC-dASIPH902EHC-IuyHj/s320/liverpool.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Liverpool is a city that is home to the longest established Black and Chinese community, a city with diverse multi racial communities (Costello, 2001). The city is making greater efforts to improve<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Com</span><span lang="EN-US">munity cohesion and improve race equality. Statistical evidence however shows matched against the demographics of Liverpool’s black community; such communities have little political or civic influence (currently we have 2 black councillors and one Asian councillor). As a result Black people do not occupy senior or strategic roles in any significant numbers in terms of their employment within both private and public sectors.</span></span></div><ol start="2" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1"><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There is evidence of poor performance in education for some sections of black communities, notably those who are described as Liverpool born black. EMTAS reported that students gaining 5+ A*-G grades there was an improvement of five per cent on 2009 and Black and racial minority pupils are now only one per cent behind the overall city result, narrowing the gap by four per cent . Due to the diversity of racial communities evidence and documentation is questionable. School outcomes have also led to low level entry into universities particularly locally .</span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Black people are notably employed in the council. The council in May 2010, recorded 8577 employees of which 174 (2%) were from BAME groups and 6386 (75%) were White. In 18 of the Liverpool Council’s 22 departments, the maximum percentage of BAME employees is 2.9%, rounded up to 3% i.e. 3 BAME workers out of every hundred Council employees. The highest percentage of BAME employees in any Council department is 6.1%, in the Children & Social Care department. Notably, there are no BAME employees at a strategic level in Corporate Services, Leadership Group, Liverpool First and Merseyside policy Unit . BAME’s tend to be represented in the arts and culture industry when working in the city.</span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Relations have improved between the Merseyside Police and black communities though they still feature disproportionately in rates of stop and search. Per 1,000 of the population, Black people were stopped and searched 6.0 times more than White people in 2006/07. This rose to 7.0 times in 2009/10 when referring to the rate per 1,000 of the population. Overall, there were more arrests per 1,000 populations of each BME groups (except for Chinese or Other) than for people of White ethnicity in 2009/10. Per 1,000 of the population, Black people were arrested 3.3 times more than White people, and those from the mixed ethnic group 2.3 times more. A higher percentage of those in the BME groups were sentenced to immediate custody for indictable offences than in the White group in 2010 .</span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Plans are in place through various routes to challenge the chronically low black youth employment in the city, the unacceptably small numbers of Black teachers and low levels in the senior management team (currently 2 black head teachers and 1 asian, around 52 BAME teachers out of 5400 teachers). Exceptionally low numbers of local people who go onto university and BAME students continue to not achieve 5 A-C at GCSE level on leaving school. The live issue of underachievement and exclusion experienced by the indigenous black population who are 3rd and 4th generation, Liverpool born black people is yet to be fully acknowledged and addressed. There are pockets of success for Black communities notably in the arts sector. </span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There is a consensus in the city that although we have come a long way we are not yet at a place where racism can be consigned to the history book.</span></span></li>
</ol><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">References</span></b></div><div class="MsoEndnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt; text-align: justify;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[1]</span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> The terms ‘black’ is a political term. It refers to African, Asian, Caribbean and other ethnic minorities.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[1]</span></span></span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> Costello R (2001) Black<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"> Liverpool. The Early History of Britain’s Oldest Black Community 1730-1918. </span>Picton Press: Liverpool</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoEndnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt; text-align: justify;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[1]</span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Liverpool Council website (2010) <i>Workforce Ethnicity data </i>February 2010</span></div><div class="MsoEndnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt; text-align: justify;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[1]</span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Race For Opportunity (2008)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Race To The Top: The Place for Ethnic Minority Groups In The UK Workforce</span></div><div class="MsoEndnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt; text-align: justify;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[1]</span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> http://www.liverpool.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/support-for-ethnic-minorities/how-emtas-has-helped-pupils/</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[1]</span></span></span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> <i>Joanne Moore & Felicity Dunworth</i><b> </b>January 2011<b> </b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Review of Evidence from<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Aimhigher Area Partnerships of the Impact of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Aimhigher<b> </b></span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoEndnoteText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt; text-align: justify;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;">[1]</span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Liverpool Council website (2010) <i>Workforce Ethnicity data </i>February 2010 </span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; text-align: justify;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[1]</span></span></span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> "Statistics on Race & the Criminal Justice System 2010 and A ministry of Justice publication of the Criminal Justice Act 1991 (Published October 2011)</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt;"><br />
<span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[1]</span></span></span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">DCSF (2009) <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Statistical Analysis Unit: Teacher Workforce Data: Table 10 Ethnicity </span>, DCSF: London</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Consortium of Liverpool National Black and Antiracist Organisations</span></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;"><br />
</div>Lee Jasperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03941960163596740027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5340545416812917534.post-10215044892426078952012-03-18T17:09:00.002-07:002012-03-19T15:59:33.712-07:00Round Table Discussion: Tackling Racism in Football<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";">Round Table Discussion: Tackling Racism in Football</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 144pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";">Hosted by:</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";">The Consortium of Liverpool National Black & Anti-Racism Organisations </span></b></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";">For</span></b></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";">Liverpool Football Club & Local Leaders</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 72pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>27<sup>th</sup> March 2012 6p.m. till 730.p.m. </span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 72pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 72pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-no-proof: yes;"><shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" id="_x0000_t75" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f"><stroke joinstyle="miter"></stroke><formulas><f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"></f><f eqn="sum @0 1 0"></f><f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"></f><f eqn="prod @2 1 2"></f><f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"></f><f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"></f><f eqn="sum @0 0 1"></f><f eqn="prod @6 1 2"></f><f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"></f><f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"></f><f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"></f><f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"></f></formulas><path gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect" o:extrusionok="f"></path><lock aspectratio="t" v:ext="edit"></lock></shapetype></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0bFvMOZBBR8KYJApiOqLFBRvT-kdyb6zoCUTzvDN2kXAXcx_2v5IJUyc_gKykO8Byzmrtj_B7F86voPHQLTrtZ0UN3mAoGIuRFuy8vT6P4kLKg_hHLvfwptaYLTiOwxWKTB0-E9GJiwcW/s1600/lIVERPOOL%252520UNITY%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0bFvMOZBBR8KYJApiOqLFBRvT-kdyb6zoCUTzvDN2kXAXcx_2v5IJUyc_gKykO8Byzmrtj_B7F86voPHQLTrtZ0UN3mAoGIuRFuy8vT6P4kLKg_hHLvfwptaYLTiOwxWKTB0-E9GJiwcW/s1600/lIVERPOOL%252520UNITY%255B1%255D.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Background:</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
The issue of racism in football has emerged as a matter of national concern. The events involving John Terry of Chelsea and Luis Suarez of Liverpool Football Club (LFC) are two of the most prominent incidents that have attracted worldwide attention. Behind the headlines lies the reality that behaviour seen on the pitch today is replicated by young people and fans throughout the country. The findings of the FA investigation into the racially abusive comments made by Luis Suarez were rejected by LFC. The black communities of Liverpool responded to both the Luis Suarez issue and the subsequent inept handling of the issue, by LFC with disappoint and anger. This was also felt by many residents in white communities within the city of Liverpool and beyond. The reputation of both the City and the Club, for its commitment to race equality was damaged as a result. In addition, it was believed by many, that the actions of LFC <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>was seen to be encouraging and promoting racism more generally. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As a result a letter was sent to the club offering advice about how to better manage the situation. This advice was not taken or acknowledged. The Consortium of local black and national anti racist organizations then formed and wrote to LFC seeking a meeting to discuss how best we could all work together to address these issues and restore the reputation of both the City and the Club. The key aim was to help to reverse the promotion of racism among fans and wider society. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">That offer has so far been refused with LFC insisting that they are working with a range of national diversity organisations that have no links or track record with working with Liverpool's black community. This is unacceptable. LFC also stated that they are also working with the Liverpool City Council to address these issues. This is to be welcomed. Councils play an important role in providing ci</span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">vic<span class="apple-style-span"> leadership in challenging racism however this cannot be at the expense of the active </span>involvement of communities and partnership at a strategic level. This matter flagged up an urgent need for LFC, to move beyond their work at grass roots level with local black communities and respect the need for community involvement at a strategic level.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 11.25pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 11.25pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">To facilitate further discussion around these important matters, the Consortium, comprising of local communities from diverse racial groups and national black and anti racist organizations, through their campaign, Lo</span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">ve <span class="apple-style-span">Football Hate Racism, has organised a national roundtable debate. This is an attempt to facilitate discussion, enhance accountability and promote partnership. Working between LFC and </span>Liverpool's black community, the consortium seeks to provide effective and sustainable local and national leadership on these issues. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 11.25pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 11.25pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Consortium has won support and admirers locally and nationally, most notably from the Bishop of Liverpool, Rt Revd James Jones, who said; </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 11.25pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“This is a hugely important issue and I am encouraged to know that you are taking the initiative to set up this discussion with Liverpool Football Club.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 11.25pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 11.25pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Liverpool City Council<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>has signed up and endorsed<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>its commitment to points 3 and 4 of requests, in our statement of intent knowing that points 1 and 2 are not within their gift to do so. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 11.25pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 11.25pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The work effort, resources, human and physical is “big society” in action. The critics are growing fewer in numbers, daily, as we continue to win over hearts and minds and move closer to a sensible consensus on the way forward. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";">The Consortium and its many supporters will continue to work to secure solutions; our lived experience and learned expertise can offer LFC and the city for the benefit of all of communities.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 11.25pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 11.25pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";">Round Table Discussion</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 11.25pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Chairing this roundtable discussion will be Colin Parry OBE. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Colin is a tireless campaigner for Peace and has become a prominent authority and speaker in the years following the IRA bombing in Warrington in which his son was killed. Following this tragic event, Colin and his wife Wendy founded the Foundation for Peace and created their unique Peace Centre in Warrington.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 11.25pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Colin was awarded the O.B.E in the Queen's birthday Honours list in 2004 and has received many other awards and accreditations including Rotary International's most prestigious award for 'World Understanding and Peace' before an audience of 10,000 in the Osaka Baseball Dome in Japan. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Invited guests to join the debate include:</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Councillor Joe Anderson- Leader of Council</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"> Jon Murphy- Merseyside Police Chief</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"> Mick Ord- Radio Merseyside </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sir Terry Leahy- Business Rep</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"> Liverpool FC representatives (2)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"> Simone Pound- Professional Footballers Association </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"> John Barnes- Former LFC Player</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"> MP Louise Ellman</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>MP Steve Rotheham</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Councillor Anna Rothery</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Alistair Machray- Liverpool Echo </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";">Consortium </span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"> Gloria Hyatt MBE- Teach Consultancy</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"> Eric Lynch- Slavery History Tours</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"> Earl Jenkins - Kingsley United</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"> Femi Sowende - Merseyside Black History<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Month</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"> Alec Mc Fadden - Merseyside Coalition Against<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Racism and Facism - Merseyside and TUC</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"> Simon Woolley - Operation Black vote</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Peter Herbert OBE - Society of Black Lawyers</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"> Lee Jasper- London Race and Criminal Justice </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Viv Ahmun- Core Plan UK</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Charles Critchlow - National Black Police Association </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";">Others & Community</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Arun Kang - Sporting Equals</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"> Sir Herman Ousely -Kick Racism Out Football</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"> TBC rep- Show Racism The Red Card</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> Clare Dove MBE- Blackburne House</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anthony Walker Foundation </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Michelle Charters - Kuumba Imani Millennium Centre </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The roundtable will focus on three key issues; </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">1. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";">How do we work with others to highlight and reduce racism in football in light of the LFC’s handing of the Luis Suarez incident and the issues as laid out in our statement of intent? </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">2. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";">What can football clubs do to challenge racism in football and join the debate about tackling racism in wider society? </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">3. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";">How do we move forward in partnership, taking into consideration the 4 requests made by the Consortium of Liverpool National Black and Anti-racist Organisations?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The Consortium’s Statement of Intent and Four Requests;</span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"></span></b></div><ul type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">that LFC publicly accept the findings of the FA into the Suarez case. </span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">that LFC and Suarez publicly apologize to Patrice Evra. </span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">that LFC in partnership with Liverpool and national black and anti-racist organisations commit to and sponsor an international conference on the issue of eradicating racism in football.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"> </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">that civic leaders in addition to LFC sign up to a public declaration reaffirming their commitment to combating racism and promoting race equality through pro active actions.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"></span></li>
</ul><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><div class="yiv1073779489MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Desired Outcome</span></strong></div><div class="yiv1073779489MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="yiv1073779489MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_1_1332197647358154" style="text-align: justify;"><strong><span style="font-size: large;"><span id="yui_3_2_0_1_1332197647358153" style="color: black; font-family: "sans-serif";">Our focus is to ensure that Liverpool Football Club, Liverpool City Council and key leaders in the city</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "sans-serif";"></span></span></strong></div><div class="yiv1073779489MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_1_1332197647358156" style="text-align: justify;"><strong><span style="font-size: large;"><span id="yui_3_2_0_1_1332197647358155" style="color: black; font-family: "sans-serif";">acknowledge the issue of racism and work in partnership strategically with </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "sans-serif";">Liverpool's black community and the Consortium in seeking to address these important issues. </span></span></strong></div><div class="yiv1073779489MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="yiv1073779489MsoListParagraph"><strong><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span>·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>NB: We acknowledge that not all invited guests will be able to attend the debate though they may inform it. </strong></div><div class="yiv1073779489MsoNormal"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> On Twitter follow @LFHRUK </b> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><strong><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";">For further information about the consortium go to: </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://lfhruk.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"><span style="color: red;">http://lfhruk.blogspot.com</span></span></a></span></strong><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";">The Consortium of Liverpool National Black & Anti-Racism Organisations</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span class="apple-style-span"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";">Campaign: Lo</span></b></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";">ve <span class="apple-style-span">Football Hate Racism</span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div>Lee Jasperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03941960163596740027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5340545416812917534.post-80488601641089399072012-03-09T14:01:00.002-08:002012-03-09T14:06:15.830-08:00FA director Heather Rabbatts interviewed for Telegraph - “Liverpool found themselves a lone voice"<h1>John Terry had to be removed as England captain, says FA director Heather Rabbatts </h1><h2>Heather Rabbatts’s introduction to the Football Association board has not been a gentle one. At her first board meeting, the first woman to take a seat round the Wembley table found the toxic issue of John Terry’s England captaincy top of the agenda. </h2><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><strong><img alt="Heather Rabbatts - John Terry had to be removed as England captain, says FA director Heather Rabbatts " height="250" src="http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02162/heather_2162753b.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></strong></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="ingCaptionCredit"><strong><span class="caption">View from the top: Heather Rabbatts is the first woman to be appointed to the FA board</span> <span class="credit">Photo: GEOFF PUGH</span></strong></div><div class="ingCaptionCredit"></div><div class="ingCaptionCredit"></div><div align="left" class="ingCaptionCredit"><span class="credit"></span><br />
<br />
(First published at: <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/"><span style="color: red;">http://www.telegraph.co.uk</span></a>)<br />
<div id="mainBodyArea"><div class="firstPar"><span style="font-size: small;">Even for a businesswoman with Rabbatts’s breadth of experience it was a challenging start to a new role. </span></div><div class="secondPar"><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Having been appointed as one of two independent non-executive directors — businessman Roger Devlin is the other — she might have anticipated a quieter initiation. But where some might have taken a softly-softly approach while they got their feet under the table, Rabbatts had no hesitation. </span></div><div class="thirdPar"><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Once Terry’s trial on charges of racially abusing Anton Ferdinand was adjourned until after <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/competitions/european-championships-2012/" jquery1508760838582052535="70">Euro 2012</a>, in her mind the FA’s course was obvious. Informed by her heritage — she is of mixed race, born to a Jamaican mother — and her diverse business background, she argued that Terry’s captaincy was untenable. </span></div><div class="fourthPar"><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">If chairman David Bernstein had any doubts about standing Terry down, Rabbatts’s counsel would have helped ease it. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">As a result she is associated with the most contentious decision the FA has taken in some time, but there are no regrets. It was, she says, a matter of leadership. </span></div><div class="fifthPar"><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>“It is not rocket science, given who I am, that this was an issue that I would feel strongly about,” she says, in her first extensive interview since taking the FA role." </strong></span></div><div class="body"><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>“The principle of innocent until proven guilty is absolutely paramount. But in other walks of life, if an employee who carries additional reputational responsibilities is subject to charges, they are suspended." </strong></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>“Given the FA’s policies and priorities, and given the reputation that the England captain absolutely has to stand by, it was not appropriate for him to be captain. I think the board and in particular the chairman showed leadership. It is a decision the board can stand by.” </strong></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Leadership is a theme of conversation with Rabbatts, who has wide experience from a diverse career. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Her CV includes spells as chief executive of Lambeth Council, deputy chairman of Millwall, and directorships at the BBC, the Bank of England, the Royal Opera House, Crossrail and her own media company Shed Media. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">This mix of experience, and a lifetime’s interest in football from grass-roots to the professional game, including a long commitment to anti-racism campaign Kick It Out, led the FA to appoint her. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>“English football is a pretty heady cocktail. It comprises business dynamics, it is a massive entertainment industry, it is a national passion and it is political. I am strange in that I have worked in all those different sectors." </strong></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>“I felt I brought a pretty unique skill-set in terms of what the FA is trying to achieve. I am also a woman and I am mixed race. So I think I bring an additional lens.” </strong></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Inevitably in a season scarred by racist incidents, her perspective on the issue is informative. She is encouraged by the progress the English game has made, but says more has to be done. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Liverpool’s at times blind support for Luis Suárez dismayed her, though diplomacy restricts her to a limited comment. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">“Liverpool found themselves a lone voice, and the fact they found themselves a lone voice says it all. But the reaction to Suárez and other incidents demonstrates how committed many millions of fans are to stamp this out.” </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">She identifies the double-edged sword of social media as an area of concern:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>“Social media is a fantastic way of connecting to people, but some black players are being racially abused because people think they are anonymous on Twitter. The chants on the terraces are not replaced by abuse on social media, but it is creeping in. You can’t stop moving [on racism] because it changes.” </strong></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Increasing diversity at the top of English football, particularly among the next generation of coaches, will be a priority. Her logic for broadening the talent pool is not ideological but practical. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>“There was a time when great English managers managed European clubs. Jose Mourinho learned his trade under a great English manager [Sir Bobby Robson]. It is almost impossible to imagine that happening today. </strong></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>One of my objectives is to ensure that we have the calibre of coaches and future managers who are in demand. To do that you have to have the best of talent, and that talent comes from all different parts of this country. </strong></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>There are precious few candidates that one talks about for very senior high-profile jobs. Wouldn’t it be nice in future to say we have the choice of five or 10 candidates for those roles?”</strong> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Selecting the next occupant of the highest profile job of all, <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/england/" jquery1508760838582052535="77"><span style="color: red;"><strong>England</strong></span></a> manager, is the next major decision for the FA board. Rabbatts is clear that whoever it is should be English, or at least appreciate the particular dynamics of the English game. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>“It is preferable [to have an English manager] though we don’t rule out someone who isn’t. But it is important that it is someone who understands the English DNA of the game. Each country has its own culture. We have ours, and it’s a massive part of this country’s psyche, so you do have to get it.” </strong></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Of course there would have been no appointment to make had the board, influenced in part by Rabbatts, not taken such decisive action over Terry, prompting Fabio Capello to walk. Despite the unintended consequences, she stands by it. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>“You make the right decisions for the right reasons. Ultimately what it comes back to is leadership, and the chairman and this board making the right decisions for the good of the game. We stand by it, and we move forward.”</strong> </span></div><div class="cl"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div></div></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Lee Jasperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03941960163596740027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5340545416812917534.post-24124469677314962402012-03-06T18:51:00.000-08:002012-03-06T18:51:46.141-08:00Steve Rotheram MP responds to our complaint re: Twitter comments<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="color: #00421f;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Office of Steve Rotheram MP</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="color: #00421f;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 8;"> </span>House of Commons</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="color: #00421f;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 8;"> </span>London</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="color: #00421f;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 8;"> </span>SW1A 0AA</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Dear Zita</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I am responding to your email of 5<sup>th</sup> March 2012 regarding your letter of formal complaint to Right Honourable Ed Miliband MP.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Can I first of all say that I am proud that one of the first groups I joined when entering Parliament was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Show Racism the Red Card.</i> In fact I specifically asked Ed as the newly elected Leader of the Labour Party for a picture to launch my new website over 12 months ago holding my <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">SRtRC</i> pack (see below). I have taken part in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">SRtRC</i> events both in Parliament and at a fundraising football match at Stamford Bridge last year.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="color: #d1101a; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-no-proof: yes; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" id="_x0000_t75" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f"><stroke joinstyle="miter"></stroke><formulas><f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"></f><f eqn="sum @0 1 0"></f><f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"></f><f eqn="prod @2 1 2"></f><f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"></f><f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"></f><f eqn="sum @0 0 1"></f><f eqn="prod @6 1 2"></f><f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"></f><f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"></f><f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"></f><f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"></f></formulas><path gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect" o:extrusionok="f"></path><lock aspectratio="t" v:ext="edit"></lock></shapetype></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="200" src="http://steverotherammp.org.uk/siteimages/21/1/7/211718/1674291.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="162" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://steverotherammp.org.uk/">http://steverotherammp.org.uk/</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Luis Suarez/Patrice Evra incidents have caused great distress to many people on both sides of the argument which unfortunately descended into football tribalism. Even John Barnes, a pioneer against racism in football, has been criticised by some for supporting Liverpool FCs stance on the issue. Before the two most recent games against Manchester United, Derek Twigg MP and I met with Club officials to highlight our apprehension that the toxicity of events could spiral out of control and endanger the safety of supporters from both Clubs. We also explained our concerns at the way in which the Club had handled matters. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I believe that some of the comments on social networking sites and other fora from a minority of supposed supporters based on race hate, have been disgraceful and should lead to those responsible being prosecuted. The press (other than locally) have been scathing of LFC/Suarez and their handling of the whole affair.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">However, both Clubs agreed to draw a line under the matter, but there are some who would like to perpetuate the myth that Liverpool is a racist City and that LFC is a racist club for totally nefarious motives. This has been damaging to our reputation. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have therefore been cautious about reigniting something that appeared to have been diffused (and I’m talking about the LFC/MUFC aspect here). I am not saying that there aren’t racists in Liverpool. I fought the BNP in the Fazakerley Ward who tried to stir up racial hatred, citing jobs at Aintree Hospital Trust being given to ‘immigrants’, which resulted, when I confronted a gang of them, in my own house and two young daughters being targeted by a group of BNP sympathisers with loud hailers. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I am also certain that despite improvements over the last 20-odd-years, racism in football still exists and despite a reduction in overtly racist behaviour (such as racist chants) I am in no doubt that racism persists in the mind, both within football clubs and on the terraces. Just because someone no longer says/shouts it, doesn’t mean they are not still thinking it. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Last week I responded to tweets I received complaining about an on-line petition allegedly tarnishing Liverpool and LFC. I certainly should have been more circumspect, although in my overly simplistic response to concerns raised, I did not refer to either; any particular petition, or to any specific group. I did admittedly generalise about <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">people</b> ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">intent on causing trouble’</i> with regard to the Suarez/Evra situation. I did not suggest that racism itself should be ignored (obviously) and can’t believe that anyone who knows me, follows me on Twitter or has paid attention to the work I have done as an MP around sport and the governance/behaviour of clubs and fans, would interpret my comments thus.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">However, people had voiced their concern that the terms of an on-line petition were perpetuating the misperception of the Club and our City as being racist. It was this particular aspect that I (clumsily) suggested should be ignored.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For any offence that I have caused, I unreservedly apologise.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There are several e-petitions that I have been asked to sign, for example requesting the FA to reopen the case against Luis Suarez given new evidence by linguistic specialists and sports lawyers, or ones that are critical of Patrice Evra’s behaviour, that I have (rightly) ignored, but there are some people that take every opportunity to have a go at scousers and knock our city, and I should have been more careful to check whether your on-line petition was similar to others posted. For misinterpreting your aims, once again I apologise.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As you will know, you only get 140 characters to put into context your thoughts on Twitter and I agree that my tweet (in hindsight) is, at best, awkward. Perhaps I would have been better emailing my wider beliefs on Racism in Football with a link to my website, which I regret not doing. In no way was what I tweeted meant to be insulting. I apologise.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In fact, so concerned was I about the whole issue of racism in football following the two high profile cases (Suarez/Evra and Terry/Ferdinand), that I secured a session for the DCMS Select Committee to look into the issue so that we could scrutinise the wider concerns; ensure that progress on tackling racism be continued and guarantee vigilance against complacency. It was due to take place today, but was unfortunately postponed due to the requirement for the Select Committee to complete the phone hacking report. I have been liaising directly with SRtRC to ensure that their evidence is heard.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Let me be absolutely clear; I have supported the two largest anti-racism campaigns, Kick It Out and Show Racism the Red Card, in my role as a Liverpool City Councillor, Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Member of Parliament for Liverpool Walton and as a football fan. I am a former PCS rep and my commitment to helping, wherever possible, to the eradication of racism in football, sport and society in general is real and I wouldn’t knowingly cause offence on such an important issue. If I did, then quite simply I AM SORRY.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Yours sincerely</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Steve Rotheram</span></div>Lee Jasperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03941960163596740027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5340545416812917534.post-88305529167365992922012-03-05T18:21:00.005-08:002012-03-19T16:34:00.182-07:00The new and emerging face of racial discrimination - by Gloria Hyatt MBE<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRo5SJDQ-2fXQUJ6ySUC-WXdUY534_ZJEsnYmewOt4hx4unqtQnkaP15-vviy5wgqL7g6mgQY5pn9Rm07GA14ldHM0F7RLEBPlMP5rphaIC4K2FbyIeSz9A2UwB3ym1yrdd2uzQEUgQBtz/s1600/racism%2520picture%2520in%2520football.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRo5SJDQ-2fXQUJ6ySUC-WXdUY534_ZJEsnYmewOt4hx4unqtQnkaP15-vviy5wgqL7g6mgQY5pn9Rm07GA14ldHM0F7RLEBPlMP5rphaIC4K2FbyIeSz9A2UwB3ym1yrdd2uzQEUgQBtz/s320/racism%2520picture%2520in%2520football.jpg" uda="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oldham FC player Tom Adeyemi allegedly being racially abused at the FA cup tie by a Liverpool FC fan in Anfield</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I struggle like many in the modern age to pin point exactly when I am being confronted by racism, due to the new and emerging subtleties and sophistication involved in the act of racism. The linking of historical atrocities to the continued importance of economic and cultural factors in today’s societies is becoming increasingly blurred as we are now forced to analyse the use of characters, who (Pepe Reina, for example) now feature in reinforcing negative 'black' stereotypes <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in an attempt to be humorous and sell a product.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First we must contextualise and understand, in both Spain and most of Latin America it is a cultural norm that the lighter your skin tone, in terms of your blackness, the greater your status is. Greater, is also, the likelihood, that you will find a brown skinned person, (who in the UK, would be considered by many, as black and of African heritage), undermining a darker skinned person. The Suarez comment, supported by his countries (Uruquay) president, “I don’t speak to Black people” is a high profile case that demonstrates this point. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The depiction of Pepe Reina, in the Groupama Seguros –Insurance company advert, being given to the blackened up African king, for sexual purposes<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>with Pepe a brown skinned man who’s name equates to queen in his county, being presented by the black man, demonstrates this reality also. The blacking up of white men, imitating what is heard as an African accent, in the advert, with Reina, harks back to a time, when black African people were not considered to represent anything beyond what was considered to be an 'uncivilized' African culture. And to add further, not considered fit to be true representatives of their entire or positively civilized African cultural identity. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;"> <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMvsUeKvRHepXvwPQNZhDBG0m7duEUt2YwXe-gBTW8pT2qXDfkTYGeEiM1vhy1QMRQd0UA_Ejq22ThnzpYDfm2VFOPZ0GDm_DCYiPVNmJaWqkeMqZOyxFvm7kbwOhDZJTAlzzdX9rwzkY/s1600/spain-racism.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" closure_uid_3sr1s8="2" closure_uid_xtfj5s="2" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMvsUeKvRHepXvwPQNZhDBG0m7duEUt2YwXe-gBTW8pT2qXDfkTYGeEiM1vhy1QMRQd0UA_Ejq22ThnzpYDfm2VFOPZ0GDm_DCYiPVNmJaWqkeMqZOyxFvm7kbwOhDZJTAlzzdX9rwzkY/s320/spain-racism.jpg" uda="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Groupama commercial </td></tr>
</tbody></table> <span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the advert we are shown the white and blackened up representative and its brown skinned queen, supposedly all in good humour. This level of subtle racism, may escape the historical memory of those who know better, or the informed or educated mind who wish to understand better. It cannot however and should not escape any one of us, that such choice of words, representations of a identity, culture, ethnicity and actions, only serve to portray all things black and African as less than, undesirable and something to be laughed at. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What disturbs me most, as a woman of African heritage, who has the skin colouring of both Suarez and Reina, is the connection both these incidents have to the city of Liverpool, its football club and the long established residency of people like me who have an African heritage. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A community of people, who now, may be visibly described, as white skinned or light brown skinned, brown eyed or blue eyed, fair haired or blond haired people. A group of people incidentally, that in my father's Jamaican culture was known as being able to 'pass’ or in my mother’s Irish culture known by the ethnic slur of ‘blackie or darkie.’ <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Simply speaking it was and is still perceived in many cities and countries around the world, that people who fit this description are more acceptable to white culture and people, given a higher status, and at times able to bypass racism. In addition it was believed this could be used for their own ends in some of the ways we have seen it played out in Spain and the Latin American countries and more recently the two players in Liverpool Football Club through Suarez and Reina.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">LFC seem determined to not acknowledge the role, their cultural practices and their ethics has had in what has been a catalogue of errors in their management of issues around race and racism. They seem uninterested in admitting to their error, let alone apologizing, understanding or learning from it.</span></span></span> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"> It will be at humanities peril, mentally, physically, emotionally and economically, especially for the descendents of African people if we ignore or minimize the reality of this new and emerging form of racial discrimination, A discrimination, packaged as an acceptable cultural norm, that one should dismiss, consider as humorous or just part of LFC’s acceptable culture that should go unchallenged. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";">This abuse is an affront to the proud tradition of racial integration and cohesion in the city of Liverpool, which all fans or non supporters should be rightly concerned about. We really must become involved in understanding the cause and reasons why we find our city at the centre of such behaviour with no civic or political leader being prepared to make a stand. We </span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">have to start talking seriously about race, </span><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";">honestly and constructively to seek to resolve what many continue to conveniently deny in the city of Liverpool and beyond. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gloria Hyatt MBE</span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Education Consultant and Executive Coach. </span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Consortium of Liverpool and National Black and Anti- Racism Organisations</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"></span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div>Lee Jasperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03941960163596740027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5340545416812917534.post-80901746841750607242012-03-05T16:14:00.001-08:002012-03-06T18:55:39.355-08:00Formal complaint re: Steve Rotheram MP<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0bFvMOZBBR8KYJApiOqLFBRvT-kdyb6zoCUTzvDN2kXAXcx_2v5IJUyc_gKykO8Byzmrtj_B7F86voPHQLTrtZ0UN3mAoGIuRFuy8vT6P4kLKg_hHLvfwptaYLTiOwxWKTB0-E9GJiwcW/s1600/lIVERPOOL%252520UNITY%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0bFvMOZBBR8KYJApiOqLFBRvT-kdyb6zoCUTzvDN2kXAXcx_2v5IJUyc_gKykO8Byzmrtj_B7F86voPHQLTrtZ0UN3mAoGIuRFuy8vT6P4kLKg_hHLvfwptaYLTiOwxWKTB0-E9GJiwcW/s1600/lIVERPOOL%252520UNITY%255B1%255D.jpg" uda="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong>Love Football, Hate Racism UK - Twitter: @LFHRUK</strong> </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">5 March 2012<br />
Mr Ed Miliband MP<br />
House of Commons<br />
Open Letter, sent by email <br />
<br />
Dear Mr Miliband,<br />
<br />
I am writing to you with a formal complaint about a member of your party, Mr Steve Rotheram, MP.</span><span style="font-size: large;">As both a trade union and community activist I have campaigned against racism all my life. I am a member of the PCS Union National Executive Committee, the TUC Race Relations Committee and co-founder of Black Activists Rising Against Cuts (BARAC) UK, a national organisation established to campaign against the disproportionate impact of cuts on black workers, service users and communities, as well as a member of the Consortium of Liverpool and National Black and Minority Organisations.</span><span style="font-size: large;">The Consortium has raised concerns about the handling of the Suarez and Evra affair through a letter to Liverpool Football Club and establishing the campaign Love Football Hate Racism. We established an online petition details of which you can access here:</span><a href="http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/racism-and-liverpool-fc.html" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><strong>http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/racism-and-liverpool-fc.html</strong></span></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The petition has four key demands as follows:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">We the undersigned call on Liverpool Football Club to meet four key demands;</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">(1) Publicly accept the findings of the FA into the Suarez case.<br />
(2) Liverpool FC and Luis Suarez to publicly apologize to Patrice Evra.<br />
(3) In partnership with Liverpool and national black and minority ethnic organisations commit to and sponsor an international conference on the issue of eradicating racism in football.<br />
(4) Together with civic leaders sign up to a public declaration reaffirming commitment to combating racism and promoting race equality through proactive actions.</span><span style="font-size: large;">On Friday 2nd of March 2012 some Liverpool fans tweeted their opposition and criticism of the petition and the authors of the petition and called on people to ‘educate’ us.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">On the same day one of these individuals tweeted @ Steve Rotheram MP <em><strong>‘Hi Steve I think you should look at the rather dodgy labelling of Liverpool city on this online petition’</strong></em>. He included a link to the petition and went on to tweet to Mr Rotheram, ‘it’s basically tarnishing both the city and LFC as racist. Dangerous’ </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Mr Rotherham tweeted in response also on the 2nd of March <em><strong>‘Lads you can’t stop people intent on causing trouble from this sort of action other than ignoring them’</strong></em></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I have taken screen shots of both tweets should you require them. </span><span style="font-size: large;">My complaint is about Mr Rotheram’s blatant disregard of the serious issue of racism and concerns raised about racism. Petitions are widely used tools in campaigning that are recognised, raise wider awareness of issues and can bring about positive results. The fact that Mr Rotheram regards me as someone who is intent on causing trouble by setting up a petition is of grave concern. By branding me and others involved in the campaign as trouble makers he is demonstrating that he does not see racism as an issue and if he has a different opinion does not believe in engaging, communicating and working to resolve issues.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I am concerned that as a member of parliament representing a diverse constituency he believes that anti racists and those who campaign against racism are intent on making trouble and believe that his expression of those views on a public forum such as Twitter bring the Labour Party and its values into disrepute and that he is acting irresponsibly as a member of Parliament. MPs are supposed to engage and take seriously the concerns of their constituents. Whilst I am not personally a constituent several members of the consortium and members of the communities they represent are residents in Liverpool the city that Mr Rotheram’s constituency is based in. Racism in football is a serious issue which must be tackled rather than ignored as Mr Rotheram has suggested. When discrimination is not addressed it empowers those who discriminate and leads to increased discrimination as we have seen recently with a rise in racism at football matches. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In addition to the petition already mentioned in this letter our campaign has submitted a petition aimed at government, which is currently awaiting approval, calling for a parliamentary debate on racism in football.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I am requesting that you raise my concerns with Mr Rotheram and seek an apology for his comments and call on him to engage with anti-racist organisations such as Love Football Hate Racism, Kick it Out, Show Racism the Red Card and others with a view to working to meet the aims of our petition and to campaign against racism in football, communities and society.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Yours sincerely,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><em>Zita Holbourne</em><br />
<strong>On behalf of the Consortium of Liverpool and National Black and Minority Organisations</strong></span><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Update: response from Steve Rotheram MP: <a href="http://lfhruk.blogspot.com/2012/03/steve-rotheram-mp-responds-to-our.html"><span style="color: red;">http://lfhruk.blogspot.com/2012/03/steve-rotheram-mp-responds-to-our.html</span></a></span></strong>Lee Jasperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03941960163596740027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5340545416812917534.post-15525578344794506612012-03-02T07:51:00.000-08:002012-03-02T07:51:39.605-08:00NO to RACISM AT LIVERPOOL FC - Please sign E-petition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0bFvMOZBBR8KYJApiOqLFBRvT-kdyb6zoCUTzvDN2kXAXcx_2v5IJUyc_gKykO8Byzmrtj_B7F86voPHQLTrtZ0UN3mAoGIuRFuy8vT6P4kLKg_hHLvfwptaYLTiOwxWKTB0-E9GJiwcW/s1600/lIVERPOOL%252520UNITY%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0bFvMOZBBR8KYJApiOqLFBRvT-kdyb6zoCUTzvDN2kXAXcx_2v5IJUyc_gKykO8Byzmrtj_B7F86voPHQLTrtZ0UN3mAoGIuRFuy8vT6P4kLKg_hHLvfwptaYLTiOwxWKTB0-E9GJiwcW/s1600/lIVERPOOL%252520UNITY%255B1%255D.jpg" uda="true" /></a></div><br />
<div class="data" style="margin-top: 7px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Published by </strong></span><a class="author3" href="http://www.blogger.com/author.php?petid=51731" title="Contact this petition's author"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><strong>Love Football Hate Racism</strong></span></a><span style="font-size: large;"><strong> on Mar 01, 2012</strong></span></div><div class="data" style="margin-top: 7px; text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Please sign petition at:</span></strong></div><div class="data" style="margin-top: 7px; text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: large;"> <a href="http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/racism-and-liverpool-fc.html"><span style="color: red;">http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/racism-and-liverpool-fc.html</span></a></span></strong></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Background:</span><br />
<!--INFOLINKS_ON--><div class="desc"> </div><div class="desc">We have grave concerns about the inadequate responses of Liverpool Football Club to the findings by the FA regulatory commission that determined Luis Suarez was guilty of racially insulting the Manchester United player, Patrice Evra.<br />
<br />
Football is a unifying sport providing pleasure and entertainment to billions of people across the planet. Young people from every corner of our world passionately support their team. Football players are held in high regard and viewed as positive role models.<br />
<br />
Clubs, players and managers have an important and globally recognized responsibility to demonstrate their commitment to the principle of common decency and fair play. Throughout the world, both on and off the football pitch they inspire and socially educate billions of young people who admire and mimic their actions.<br />
<br />
The issue of racism in football is one that requires unambiguous anti racist leadership. The actions of LFC in the run up to and following the publication of the FA’s findings fell short of the high standard of leadership expected for a team of their standing in the football community. <br />
<br />
LFC actions, in vehemently rejecting the findings of the FA inquiry, their public displays of support for a player found guilty of racist abuse and his subsequent refusal to shake the hand of Evra at a recent game is completely unacceptable. These actions we believe could be considered as inciting racial intolerance.<br />
<br />
Whilst the subsequent apologies for the failure to engage with the traditions of a pre game “hand shake” are to be welcomed, there remains deep concern, about LFC’s absolute refusal to accept the findings of the FA’s investigation. As such these apologies fail to meet the test of genuine remorse and understanding. This is further negated by LFC’s failure to apologise for racism either through the club or Suarez.<br />
<br />
Neither have LFC recognised or acknowledged the consequent damage to race relations resulting from their actions and recognised by many people of all races across the country. As a result, efforts to combat racism in football and the wider society in general have been critically undermined.<br />
<br />
Compounding these serious errors is the failures of Liverpool’s civic leaders, many of whom have remained silent on these critical issues and have failed to publicly condemn LFC’s decision not to robustly and effectively challenge racism. <br />
<br />
Such is the overwhelming power of the Premier League and the influence of clubs such as LFC it is imperative that this situation cannot be allowed to stand.<br />
<br />
The international reputation of Liverpool as a city committed to race equality is at stake. In addition there is a real and urgent need to restore confidence in the campaign against racism in football, both here, in the UK and across the world.</div></span><div class="frame"><div class="scrbox"><span style="font-size: large;">Petition details:</span> <span style="font-size: large;"></span></div><div class="scrbox"><span style="font-size: large;"></span> </div><div class="scrbox"><span style="font-size: large;">We the undersigned call on Liverpool Football Club to meet four key demands;<br />
<br />
(1) Publicly accept the findings of the FA into the Suarez case. <br />
<br />
(2) Liverpool FC and Luis Suarez to publicly apologize to Patrice Evra. <br />
<br />
(3) In partnership with Liverpool and national black and minority ethnic organisations commit to and sponsor an international conference on the issue of eradicating racism in football.<br />
<br />
(4) Together with civic leaders sign up to a public declaration reaffirming commitment to combating racism and promoting race equality through proactive actions.</span></div><div class="scrbox"><span style="font-size: large;"></span> </div><div class="scrbox"><span style="font-size: large;"></span> </div></div>Lee Jasperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03941960163596740027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5340545416812917534.post-73433793584246141012012-03-02T07:05:00.001-08:002012-03-02T07:06:13.641-08:00Groupama and the poison of racism - Pepe Reina in racially stereotypical advertFor background to this article please read:<span style="color: blue;"><strong> </strong></span><br />
<a href="http://leejasper.blogspot.com/2012/03/obv-campaigns-successfully-to-ban.html"><strong><span style="color: red;">http://leejasper.blogspot.com/2012/03/obv-campaigns-successfully-to-ban.html</span></strong></a><br />
<br />
<img alt="Groupama and the poison of racism [2.7391304347826]" class="imagecache imagecache-630x230" height="146" src="http://www.obv.org.uk/sites/default/files/imagecache/630x230/images/groupama%20logo.jpg" title="" width="400" /><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The international insurance company Groupama and Liverpool and Spain goalkeeper Pepe Reina have both shamed themselves in the making of the racially stereotypical television advert that depicts Reina meeting a Black “tribe” in a jungle scene, which is both racist and homophobic.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMvsUeKvRHepXvwPQNZhDBG0m7duEUt2YwXe-gBTW8pT2qXDfkTYGeEiM1vhy1QMRQd0UA_Ejq22ThnzpYDfm2VFOPZ0GDm_DCYiPVNmJaWqkeMqZOyxFvm7kbwOhDZJTAlzzdX9rwzkY/s1600/spain-racism.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" closure_uid_3sr1s8="2" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMvsUeKvRHepXvwPQNZhDBG0m7duEUt2YwXe-gBTW8pT2qXDfkTYGeEiM1vhy1QMRQd0UA_Ejq22ThnzpYDfm2VFOPZ0GDm_DCYiPVNmJaWqkeMqZOyxFvm7kbwOhDZJTAlzzdX9rwzkY/s320/spain-racism.jpg" uda="true" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Groupama commercial </td></tr>
</tbody></table> <span style="font-size: large;">For centuries, Black people have been forced to endure and live with a viscerally poisonous caricature. History is replete with examples of crude and negative racist stereotypes depicting Africans as cannibalistic savages. In this imagery, Africans are usually portrayed as subhuman, violent and dangerous simpletons usually wearing grass skirts with the obligatory bone through the nose.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The other powerful image is the persistent White association of Black people with monkeys. The inference being Black people are more closely related to apes than to modern man. The cultural resonance of these types of stereotype are so powerful, I bet even as you read this you can see these mental pictures in your head.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">There is a view within the UK’s Black communities that we are increasingly expected to laugh at such examples of racism in the name of tolerance. God forbid that Black people should react or publically complain should they have the temerity to do so, their complaint will be routinely dismissed as “having a chip on your shoulder”.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">If they are public figures they will be lambasted by sections of the printed press and will undoubtedly face an avalanche of racism from the UK’s growing online Twitter Tea Party tendency.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">As you would expect, Black people are naturally reluctant to collude with our own oppression in a society t</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">hat arrogantly and falsely assumes that Britain is a “post-racist society”. Such denial is the stock response to any accusation of racism in the UK.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">To date, neither Liverpool FC, nor Reina has issued a statement on this issue. No doubt they are in denial, hoping this issue will blow over. The club has made that mistake before. It is bizarre that they seem to be determined to repeat the mistakes of the past in relation to this latest incident.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Their reported stance can be summarised as ‘what the player does off the field is nothing to do with the club’. This, of course, is complete and utter nonsense and reinforces the growing perception of LFC as a club that is failing to take racism seriously.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Here is some free advice for LFC: Ensure Pepe Reina gives an immediate explanation and apology. As a gesture of remorse and by way of repairing the damage done, Reina should donate the fee he received for the advert to an anti-racism charity. End of. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">What starts off as Reina’s extra-curricular earner or a ‘bit of fun’, ends up as racial chanting on the terraces.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The persistence of racism in sport and advertising affects us all. In particular, Black footballers, Black fans, Black politicians and activists and communities are all forced to endure the ignominy of such ignorant portrayals and the on-going right-wing backlash that follows any attempt to raise the issue of racism. And yet what children see players doing today, they do on the streets tomorrow.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The fact that these cruel and archetypal racist stereotypes persist to this day is significant. Such is the all-pervading power of racism and the prevalence of graphic, racist propaganda dressed up as advertising. These derogatory images of Africans are globally recognised and instantly understood by millions across the world.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In both Europe and the UK, Black people have faced serious abuse and at times, deadly violence when faced with groups of White youth infected by such imagery. Such stereotypes are grossly offensive and extremely dangerous.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The last few months has seen the issue of racism in football splashed on the front and back pages of the British press. Liverpool Football Club’s disgraceful handling of the Luis Suarez affair saw a combination of racial abuse and ungentlemanly conduct inflame racial tension on the terraces. Black leaders from Liverpool and across the country wrote in protest at the clubs action, describing Liverpool FC's inept handling of the Suarez matter as “inciting racism”.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Prime Minister David Cameron called a summit of the resurgent phenomena of racism in the national game. As the economy continues to stall and unemployment rise, there is growing anecdotal evidence that the violent racism and bigotry is on the rise across Europe and the UK.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">As we approach the European Championships in Eastern Europe, whose record on tackling extreme, violent racism is abysmal, the Football Association, English clubs and FIFA need to send a strong and unambiguous message to players and clubs that racism will not be tolerated in the beautiful game.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">My advice is that Black football fans should not attend the EURO 2012 games without absolute assurances from the UK and FIFA that they will not be subject to racial violence and or abuse.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Liverpool Football Club needs to support the efforts of the FA to challenge racism and take real action to provide a national lead in tackling racism.</span><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Lee Jasper </span></strong>Lee Jasperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03941960163596740027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5340545416812917534.post-68889416489632101782012-03-01T07:05:00.003-08:002012-03-01T15:06:07.966-08:00OBV campaigns successfully to ban the racist Pepe Reina Ad<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="Another Liverpool player Pepe Reina in race row [1.5217391304348]" class="imagecache imagecache-350x230" height="262" src="http://www.obv.org.uk/sites/default/files/imagecache/350x230/images/spain-racism.jpg" title="" width="400" /></div><br />
<br />
<br />
(From OBV 28 Feb 2012 <a href="http://www.obv.org.uk/"><span style="background-color: white; color: red;"><strong>www.obv.org.uk</strong></span></a>)<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong><u>Another Liverpool player Pepe Reina in race row</u></strong></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">We sometimes forget to our peril the battles we have fought here in the UK against racism and racial stereotyping.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Most of the readers of this article will not remember seeing the type of derogatory stereotyping in cinema and TV advertising, which at the time was not only common place but won awards and acclaimed fame. For example, some 40 years ago the cigarette company Benson and Hedges commissioned the nations number one advertising company Saatchi and Saatchi to make a film for the Silk Cut brand. So prestigious was this account that mini-films with huge budgets would be made. One film in particularly paraded the British Film the Zulu’s.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">‘ At the height of the Mbongo uprising a garrison of 80 were surrounded by 30,000 hostile warriors’, Queue a blackened up actor with a plumy English voice dressed as Zulu warrior extolling the virtues of the cigarette brand before threatening to put the English warriors in the ‘pot’.</span><br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6Kc5QQ6Pv8" jquery1330613000306="24" target="_blank"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><strong>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6Kc5QQ6Pv8</strong></span></a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/s6Kc5QQ6Pv8?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Many of us thought these types of videos would be consigned to the museum of very bad taste. Not so. Today in Spain Groupama Seguros –Insurance company- are running a similar distasteful ad in a tribal scenario in which once again a blackened up ‘African king’ speaking in native tongue is presented with the -and you couldn’t make this up-Liverpool and Spanish international goalkeeper Pepe Reina- Reina in Spanish means Queen. So the joke is the African –eye rolling homosexual –King chooses his Queen, Pepe Reina, who looks to the camera for help to check his insurance.</span><br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpmZPeZbI1Y" jquery1330613000306="25" title="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpmZPeZbI1Y"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><strong>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpmZPeZbI1Y</strong></span></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/vCVg9ExOy14?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">All very funny if you live in the dark ages and you have no idea or don’t care just how offensive this is. But I’m afraid that’s Spain and much of Latin America too. Remember, it wasn’t too long ago that the former Spanish football manager Louis Aragones was outraged, and refused to pay a paltry fine for calling Thierry Henry, for no good reason, ‘ Negro de mierda’. ‘ …Black shit’. More recently the Uruguay President defended Luis Suarez , for saying, among other comments, ‘No hablo con negros’ . I don’t speak to Black people’.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Despite these shockingly disrespectful ads and comments much of Spain and most of Latin America would argue that there is no racism in their countries. Well I guess on one level if you don’t acknowledge it, you have nothing to confront. But one can only be surprised at Liverpool's Pepe Reina, who has lived in the UK for a long and is acutely aware of how his football club has been embroiled in an unnecessary and protracted race row.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">OBV has contacted the company via their publicist to make an official complaint.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">info.wexterbox.es</span><a href="mailto:comunicacion@groupama.es" jquery1330613000306="26"><span style="font-size: large;">comunicacion@groupama.es</span></a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I guess it just goes to show just how far we have come here in the UK.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Simon Woolley</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><strong>OBV force Spanish multinational to pull racist ad</strong></span> <br />
<br />
(From OBV 29th Feb 2012 <a href="http://www.obv.org.uk/"><span style="background-color: white; color: red;"><strong>www.obv.org.uk</strong></span></a>)<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">OBV have learned that Spanish multinational insurance company, Groupama, which has a subsidiary here in the UK, has pulled one of its adverts currently showing in Spain that depicts Black people, in a jungle scenario as stupid, backward, animalistic homosexuals.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Sadly, however, the group go on to say,</span><br />
<div class="pullquote"><span style="font-size: large;">“Groupama Seguros does not consider that this advert contains either offensive nor any discriminatory content.”<span class="quote-close"></span></span></div><div jquery1330611646230="62"><br />
</div><div jquery1330611646230="62"><span style="font-size: large;">The advert which stars Liverpool and Spanish international goalkeeper Pepe Reina, plays on his surname Reina-which is translated to Queen in English. In the ad the blackened up chief chooses Reina, the Queen, as his partner in a lustful manner.</span></div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpmZPeZbI1Y" jquery1330611646230="24" target="_blank"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><strong>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpmZPeZbI1Y</strong></span></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div> <span style="font-size: large;">OBV’s Director Simon Woolley said,</span><br />
<div class="pullquote"><span style="font-size: large;">“I’m shocked on so many levels. Firstly, how would the Spanish feel if the English stereotyped Spanish people as backward, stupid, and animalistic homosexuals? Secondly, what does this say about Pepe Reina? The Liverpool goalkeeper has lived and worked in the UK for nearly a decade, does he think it’s ok characterise Black people this way? Does he think his Black team mates will laugh at his joke?”<span class="quote-close"></span></span></div><div jquery1330611646230="63"><span style="font-size: large;">Given that Liverpool football club is trying to move forward from the Suarez affair, it is a shame that another one of their players has caused offence, by appearing in an advert that seems to come from a bygone era. Those who are old enough might remember those despicable Benson and Hedges Silk Cut Zulu ads of the 1970’s."</span></div><div jquery1330611646230="63"><br />
</div><div jquery1330611646230="63">(Update from OBV <a href="http://www.obv.org.uk/"><strong><span style="color: red;">www.obv.org.uk</span></strong></a> March 1 2012)</div><div jquery1330611646230="63"><br />
</div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">There has been a lot of heat generated from OBV complaining about a Spanish TV ad starring Pepe Reina. Many bloggers on national websites have been outraged that our organisation should say, ‘this demeaning portrayal of Black people in Africa is not acceptable’. Many comments have been very abusive. But few writers have taken a step back and tried to objectively unpick and understand what is being played out in regards to this ad and what it means in Spain and here in the UK</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Pete Jenson writing for the Independent has had a go. Whilst you might not agree with everything he says he has nonetheless written a very thoughtful piece.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Simon Woolley</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">'It is Alf Garnett humour, and Spanish still think it's funny</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In 2004, when Spanish club Getafe's supporters were accused of racist abuse, their president, Angel Torres, offered to make his players black up for a game to prove the club was not racist. He was being serious.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It should be pointed out that Torres also proposed that any supporter found making racially abusive comments be banned for life. His intentions were good but, seen through the eyes of people with a different cultural and socio-political history, his idea was hideous.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Pepe Reina's advert for insurance is the kind of thing that would have been screened on British television about 20 years ago, probably while the Alf Garnett series In Sickness and In Health was airing on the other channel. Today anyone coming up with the idea at a brainstorming session would have been getting their coat before you could say "crude racial stereotype".</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The question is: should the Spanish be allowed to define and redefine their own perimeters of what is and is not acceptable, taking on board the opinions and complaints of their own ethnic minorities, or do groups from outside the country's borders have a duty to tell them what is and is not acceptable?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In the advert the Liverpool goalkeeper Reina is introduced to the king of an African tribe. The person presenting him to the king says: "Great white man – Pepe Reina." Then the king says something which is translated to Reina as: "The boss says 'you Reina [meaning queen in Spanish], he Rey'" (king in Spanish). The king then says something else and when Reina asks: "And what does that mean?" the interpreter shakes his head worryingly and a spearholding tribesman puts a crown on to Reina's head and shuffles him forward towards the king – the inference being that he will have to marry the king. Reina utters the advert's catchphrase: "Me siento seguro", which translates as: "I feel secure".' The word seguro also means insurance.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Whether the ad for the multi-national insurance firm Groupama really depicts black people as "animalistic homosexuals", as Operation Black Vote suggests, is highly debatable. It's Benny Hill humour with a silly play on the fact that Reina's name means queen in Spanish. The tribal king is the fool in the story – in another of the adverts from the same series the joke is on the Spanish, with Reina sat on a coach being asked for his autograph by a fan, who turns out to be the coach driver who has left his mother at the wheel – Reina utters his "I feel secure" catchphrase as the coach veers across the road. Women drivers could take offence at that one.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Of course, women drivers have never been enslaved and persecuted, and that maybe is the part that Spanish culture still does not get. Should Reina have got it, with his years of playing in England? The behind-the-scenes shots of him filming the advert have him joking with the black actors as he struggles to say his lines without laughing. He will be as surprised as the Spanish TV audience that the commercial has caused so much outrage beyond the country's borders.'</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong>Pete Jenson writing for the Independent</strong></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">LINKS: </span></strong><br />
<br />
<div class="date"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Reina leaps to defence of Suarez - December 22, 2011 - </strong>Liverpool goalkeeper Jose Reina believes striker Luis Suarez has been "crucified'' over his racism charge.</span></div><div class="date"><a href="http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/1000197/liverpoo%27s-pepe-reina-leaps-to-defence-of-luis-suarez?cc=5739"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><strong>http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/1000197/liverpoo%27s-pepe-reina-leaps-to-defence-of-luis-suarez?cc=5739</strong></span></a></div><div class="date"></div><div class="date"></div><div class="date"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Anti-racism campaigners attack Pepe Reina over 'stereotyped' African tribe advert</strong></span></div><div class="date"><a href="http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Anti-racism-campaigners-attack-Pepe-Reina-over-stereotyped-African-tribe-advert-article872450.html"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><strong>http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Anti-racism-campaigners-attack-Pepe-Reina-over-stereotyped-African-tribe-advert-article872450.html</strong></span></a></div><br />
<h1 class="title"><span style="font-size: large;">Pepe Reina in racism storm: A Spanish TV Commercial featuring Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina has been banned following complaints of racism and homophobia. <a href="http://www.insidespanishfootball.com/pepe-reina-in-racism-storm/"><span style="color: red;">http://www.insidespanishfootball.com/pepe-reina-in-racism-storm/</span></a></span></h1><h1 class="title">To see the extent of the internet coverage of this issue worldwide, please check out: <a href="http://news.google.com/news/story?ncl=http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_sports/view/1186384/1/.html&hl=en&geo=us"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">http://news.google.com/news/story?ncl=http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_sports/view/1186384/1/.html&hl=en&geo=us</span></a></h1>Lee Jasperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03941960163596740027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5340545416812917534.post-34875521791985722782012-02-27T15:50:00.001-08:002012-02-27T16:20:55.504-08:00Correspondence between LFC & Consortium of Liverpool/National Black & Minority Organisations<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0bFvMOZBBR8KYJApiOqLFBRvT-kdyb6zoCUTzvDN2kXAXcx_2v5IJUyc_gKykO8Byzmrtj_B7F86voPHQLTrtZ0UN3mAoGIuRFuy8vT6P4kLKg_hHLvfwptaYLTiOwxWKTB0-E9GJiwcW/s1600/lIVERPOOL%2520UNITY%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0bFvMOZBBR8KYJApiOqLFBRvT-kdyb6zoCUTzvDN2kXAXcx_2v5IJUyc_gKykO8Byzmrtj_B7F86voPHQLTrtZ0UN3mAoGIuRFuy8vT6P4kLKg_hHLvfwptaYLTiOwxWKTB0-E9GJiwcW/s1600/lIVERPOOL%2520UNITY%5B1%5D.jpg" uda="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131100" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<br />
<span class="yiv417830820apple-style-span"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">1st Letter from consortium to Liverpool Football Club:</span></strong></span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<span class="yiv417830820apple-style-span"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">We the undersigned wish to express our grave concerns about the inadequate responses of Liverpool Football Club to the findings by the FA regulatory commission that determined Luis Suarez was guilty of racially insulting the Manchester United player, Patrice Evra.</span></i></span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="yiv417830820apple-style-span"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Football is a unifying sport providing pleasure and entertainment to billions of people across the planet. Young people from every corner of our world passionately support their team. Football players are held in high regard and viewed as positive role models.</span></i></span><span class="yiv417830820apple-style-span"><i></i></span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="yiv417830820apple-style-span"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Clubs, players and managers have an important and globally recognized responsibility to demonstrate their commitment to the principle of common decency and fair play. Throughout the world, both on and off the football pitch they inspire and socially educate billions of young people who admire and mimic their actions.</span></i></span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="yiv417830820apple-style-span"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The issue of racism in football is one that requires unambiguous anti racist leadership. The actions of LFC in the run up to and following the publication of the FA’s findings fell short of the high standard of leadership expected for a team of their standing in the football community. </span></i></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131117" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="yiv417830820apple-style-span" id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131116"><i id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131115"><span id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131114" style="font-size: 14pt;">LFC actions, in vehemently rejecting the findings of the FA inquiry, their public displays of support for a player found guilty of racist abuse and his subsequent refusal to shake the hand of Evra at a recent game is completely unacceptable. These actions we believe could be considered as inciting racial intolerance.</span></i></span><span class="yiv417830820apple-style-span"><i></i></span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131125" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="yiv417830820apple-style-span" id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131124"><i id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131123"><span id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131122" style="font-size: 14pt;">Whilst the subsequent apologies for the failure to engage with the traditions of a pre game “hand shake” are to be welcomed, there remains deep concern, about LFC’s absolute refusal to accept the findings of the FA’s investigation. As such these apologies fail to meet the test of genuine remorse and understanding. This is further negated by LFC’s failure to apologise for racism either through the club or Suarez. </span></i></span><span class="yiv417830820apple-style-span"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span></i></span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="yiv417830820apple-style-span"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Neither have LFC recognised or acknowledged the consequent damage to race relations resulting from their actions and recognised by many people of all races across the country. As a result, efforts to combat racism in football and the wider society in general have been critically undermined. </span></i></span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="yiv417830820apple-style-span"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Compounding these serious errors is the failures of Liverpool’s civic leaders, many of whom have remained silent on these critical issues and have failed to publicly condemn LFC’s decision not to robustly and effectively challenge racism. </span></i></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="yiv417830820apple-style-span"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Such is the overwhelming power of the Premier League and the influence of clubs such as LFC it is imperative that this situation cannot be allowed to stand. </span></i></span><span class="yiv417830820apple-style-span"><i></i></span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="yiv417830820apple-style-span"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The international reputation of Liverpool as a city committed to race equality is at stake. In addition there is a real and urgent need to restore confidence in the campaign against racism in football, both here, in the UK and across the world.</span></i></span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="yiv417830820apple-style-span"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">To this end we have four key demands;</span></i></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span></div><ul id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131134" type="disc"><li class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="yiv417830820apple-style-span"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">that LFC publicly accept the findings of the FA into the Suarez case. </span></i></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span> </li>
<li class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131133" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="yiv417830820apple-style-span" id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131132"><i id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131131"><span id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131130" style="font-size: 14pt;">that LFC and Suarez publicly apologize to Patrice Evra. </span></i></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span> </li>
<li class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="yiv417830820apple-style-span"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">that LFC in partnership with Liverpool and national black and ethnic minority organisations commit to and sponsor an international conference on the issue of eradicating racism in football.</span></i></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span> </li>
<li class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="yiv417830820apple-style-span"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">that civic leaders in addition to LFC sign up to a public declaration reaffirming their commitment to combating racism and promoting race equality through pro active actions. </span></i></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span> </li>
</ul><span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: small;">Love Football, Hate Racism: </span></strong><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><strong>Facebook: </strong><a href="https://www.facebook.com/LFHRUK"><strong><span style="color: red;">https://www.facebook.com/LFHRUK</span></strong></a><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Love-Football-Hate-Racism-UK/362831157068473?sk=wall"></a></span><br />
<strong><span style="font-size: small;">Twitter: follow @LFHRUK </span></strong><br />
<div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt;">Consortium of Liverpool and National Black and Minority Organisations:</span></b></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131162"><br />
</div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Gloria Hyatt MBE</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> Teach Consultancy Limited</span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Liverpool Black Leadership Forum</span></b></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Femi Sowande </span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Merseyside Black History Month Group </span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131158"><b id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131157"><span id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131156" style="font-size: 14pt;">Eric Lynch</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> Slavery History Tours<b></b></span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131150"><b id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131152"><span id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131151" style="font-size: 14pt;">Alec Mcfadden</span></b><span id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131149" style="font-size: 14pt;"> Merseyside Coalition Against Racism and Facism </span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131142"><b id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131141"><span id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131140" style="font-size: 14pt;">Alec Mcfadden</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> Merseyside TUC</span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131145"><b id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131144"><span id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131143" style="font-size: 14pt;">Paul Sesay Smith</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> Diversity Group and National Diversity Awards</span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Earl Jenkins</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> Kingsley United </span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131170"><b id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131169"><span id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131168" style="font-size: 14pt;">Paul Jenkins</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> North West Unite Against Facism </span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt;">Zita Holbourne</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt;"> Black Activists Rising Against Cuts</span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt;">Shantele Janes</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt;"> Cheshire Halton and Warrington Race Equality Centre </span><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span></b></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Tracey Hylton</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> Edit Consultancy </span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Lee Jasper </span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">London Race and Criminal Justice Consortium</span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Peter Herbert</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> <b>OBE</b> Society of Black Lawyers</span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Simon Woolley</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> Operation Black vote</span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Charles Crichlow</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> National Black Police Association </span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Dave Weaver</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> 1990 Trust</span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Stafford Scott</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> Tottenham Defence Campaign</span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Viv Ahmun</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14pt;"> Coreplan</span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal"></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14pt;"></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: xx-small;"></span></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>__________________________________________________</strong></span></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Response from Liverpool Football Club to Consortium:</strong></span> </div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><group coordsize="11904,16829" id="_x0000_s1026" style="height: 841.45pt; margin-left: -7.5pt; margin-top: -11.25pt; mso-position-horizontal-relative: page; mso-position-vertical-relative: page; position: absolute; width: 595.2pt; z-index: -1;"><shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" id="_x0000_t75" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f"><stroke joinstyle="miter"></stroke><formulas><f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"></f><f eqn="sum @0 1 0"></f><f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"></f><f eqn="prod @2 1 2"></f><f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"></f><f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"></f><f eqn="sum @0 0 1"></f><f eqn="prod @6 1 2"></f><f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"></f><f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"></f><f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"></f><f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"></f></formulas><path gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect" o:extrusionok="f"></path><lock aspectratio="t" v:ext="edit"></lock></shapetype><shape id="_x0000_s1027" style="height: 16829px; position: absolute; width: 11904px;" type="#_x0000_t75"><imagedata o:title="" src="file:///C:\Users\Guest\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image001.jpg"></imagedata></shape><shape id="_x0000_s1028" style="height: 13094px; left: 1958px; position: absolute; top: 2419px; width: 8333px;" type="#_x0000_t75"><imagedata o:title="" src="file:///C:\Users\Guest\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image002.png"></imagedata></shape><shape id="_x0000_s1029" style="height: 230px; left: 192px; position: absolute; top: 16454px; width: 576px;" type="#_x0000_t75"><imagedata o:title="" src="file:///C:\Users\Guest\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image003.png"></imagedata></shape><wrap anchorx="page" anchory="page"></wrap></group><group coordsize="11904,16829" id="_x0000_s1026" style="height: 841.45pt; margin-left: -7.5pt; margin-top: -11.25pt; mso-position-horizontal-relative: page; mso-position-vertical-relative: page; position: absolute; width: 595.2pt; z-index: -1;"><shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" id="_x0000_t75" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f"><stroke joinstyle="miter"></stroke><formulas><f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"></f><f eqn="sum @0 1 0"></f><f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"></f><f eqn="prod @2 1 2"></f><f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"></f><f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"></f><f eqn="sum @0 0 1"></f><f eqn="prod @6 1 2"></f><f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"></f><f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"></f><f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"></f><f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"></f></formulas><path gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect" o:extrusionok="f"></path><lock aspectratio="t" v:ext="edit"></lock></shapetype><shape id="_x0000_s1027" style="height: 16829px; position: absolute; width: 11904px;" type="#_x0000_t75"><imagedata o:title="" src="file:///C:\Users\Guest\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image001.jpg"></imagedata></shape><shape id="_x0000_s1028" style="height: 13094px; left: 1958px; position: absolute; top: 2419px; width: 8333px;" type="#_x0000_t75"><imagedata o:title="" src="file:///C:\Users\Guest\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image002.png"></imagedata></shape><shape id="_x0000_s1029" style="height: 230px; left: 192px; position: absolute; top: 16454px; width: 576px;" type="#_x0000_t75"><imagedata o:title="" src="file:///C:\Users\Guest\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image003.png"></imagedata></shape><wrap anchorx="page" anchory="page"></wrap></group><group coordsize="11904,16829" id="_x0000_s1038" style="height: 841.45pt; margin-left: -7.5pt; margin-top: -11.25pt; mso-position-horizontal-relative: page; mso-position-vertical-relative: page; position: absolute; width: 595.2pt; z-index: -1;"><shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" id="_x0000_t75" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f"><stroke joinstyle="miter"></stroke><formulas><f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"></f><f eqn="sum @0 1 0"></f><f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"></f><f eqn="prod @2 1 2"></f><f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"></f><f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"></f><f eqn="sum @0 0 1"></f><f eqn="prod @6 1 2"></f><f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"></f><f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"></f><f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"></f><f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"></f></formulas><path gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect" o:extrusionok="f"></path><lock aspectratio="t" v:ext="edit"></lock></shapetype><shape id="_x0000_s1039" style="height: 16829px; position: absolute; width: 11904px;" type="#_x0000_t75"><imagedata o:title="" src="file:///C:\Users\Guest\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image001.jpg"></imagedata></shape><shape id="_x0000_s1040" style="height: 13094px; left: 1958px; position: absolute; top: 2419px; width: 8333px;" type="#_x0000_t75"><imagedata o:title="" src="file:///C:\Users\Guest\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image002.png"></imagedata></shape><shape id="_x0000_s1041" style="height: 230px; left: 192px; position: absolute; top: 16454px; width: 576px;" type="#_x0000_t75"><imagedata o:title="" src="file:///C:\Users\Guest\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image003.png"></imagedata></shape><wrap anchorx="page" anchory="page"></wrap></group><stroke joinstyle="miter"></stroke><formulas><f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"></f><f eqn="sum @0 1 0"></f><f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"></f><f eqn="prod @2 1 2"></f><f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"></f><f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"></f><f eqn="sum @0 0 1"></f><f eqn="prod @6 1 2"></f><f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"></f><f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"></f><f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"></f><f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"></f></formulas><path gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect" o:extrusionok="f"></path><lock aspectratio="t" v:ext="edit"></lock><shape id="_x0000_s1042" style="height: 654.7pt; margin-left: 90.4pt; margin-top: 109.7pt; position: absolute; width: 416.65pt; z-index: -1;" type="#_x0000_t75"><imagedata o:title="" src="file:///C:\Users\Guest\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image001.png"></imagedata></shape></div><div align="left"><strong><u>FAO: The Consortium of Liverpool & National Black & Anti-racism Organisations.</u></strong><br />
<br />
Thank you for your letter of February 19th expressing your concerns. I very much appreciate your thoughts on the issue.<br />
<br />
I think it is important to state again that Liverpool Football club remains absolutely committed to playing its part in the fight against racism and discrimination of any sort. The club has a long and successful track record in the area of social inclusion at both home and abroad. We are committed to supporting racial equality and social inclusion and are actively involved in numerous programmes including achieving the 'Kick It Out' Equality standard and support the 'Show Racism the Red Card' program. The club has also been involved in the production of key media including 'Into the Red', an LFCTV Production celebrating the influence and success that black footballers have had at Liverpool Football Club, The club supports the Black History Month program and runs its own Truth 4 Youth program which has been delivered to over 100,000 children in schools across merseyside. We will continue to build on the work we have already done by working alongside the game's authorities and other relevant agencies to continue to make a real difference. <br />
<br />
Regarding the FA Regulatory Commission, both Luis Suarez and the Club accepted the decision, The player did not appeal the sanction, served his suspension, paid his fine and apologised to anyone he had offended. in addition the club also made unambiguously clear its disappointment with what occurred at Old Trafford more recently. The player publicly acknowledged he had made a mistake and apologised, as did the manager for his comments during a post match interview. <br />
<br />
In light of events, the Club have met with a number of key national and local stakeholders on these issues and those discussions have been honest and collaborative. We are also working with Arun Kang, Chief Executive of Sporting Equals, an independent UK-wide charity and one of the leading experts in equality and diversity in sport, who will be reviewing our policies, processes and practices. In addition, Sporting Equals will help us execute a strategy empowering staff, volunteers and stakeholders on race equality and they will assist us in engaging relevant governing bodies to ensure LFC is inclusive in all its operations. We will work with additional organisations such as Kick It Out, The Premier League and other stakeholders in football to help us develop and deliver a strategic action plan encompassing both our staff and external stakeholders.<br />
<br />
What is important is that Liverpool FC is judged on what it does now, and that the lessons learned over the past few months are translated into solid measures moving forward. <br />
<br />
Respectfully<br />
<br />
<strong>Thomas C Werner</strong><br />
<strong>Chairman</strong><br />
<strong>Liverpool Football Club </strong></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>_________________________________________________________________</strong></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Consortium response to LFC letter:</span></strong> </div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">F.A.O. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Chair Man - Tom Werner, Managing Director- Ian Ayre, Manager - Kenny Dalglish</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Liverpool FC</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Anfield Road</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Liverpool</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">L4 OTH </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">By email and post</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">23<sup>rd</sup> February 2012</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Dear Mr Werner,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><em><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";">Thank you for your letter received on 22nd February in response to our letter to you of the 19th February from the Consortium of Liverpool and National Anti Racism Organisations. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Tahoma", "sans-serif";"></span></em></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"><em>We note your responses to the some of the issues raised in our communication to you. The record of Liverpool Football Club is impressive but falls short of what is required in relation to the Suarez affair; good practice in terms of effective community engagement; and race relations. </em></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"><em>Gloria Hyatt is personally disappointed as she offered the hand of friendship in a private letter and her free expertise in a letter to Kenny Dalglish and LFC, earlier in the year, to help point out how this situation could be better managed. As you will know, the good work you have managed to achieve thus far, can be dramatically undone if LFC does not remain vigilant and continue to exemplify the highest standards of integrity in relation to tackling racism. We have become acutely aware of this as LFC fans quote unquote your messages and communications that undermine our message of peace and reconciliation in our movement to achieve peaceful race relations in our city.</em></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><em><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";">Central to this mission is leadership and in this regard LFC have undermined both their own achievements and those of others working to combat racism in the modern game by a consistent refusal to hear, respect or give value to our lived experiences. Our members have been subject to many forms of abuse at their business and personal addresses, the evidence is mounting that Liverpool’s good community relations are being damaged as racism is on the increase fuelled by the situations we speak of. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Tahoma", "sans-serif";"></span></em></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><em><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";">We also note your comment that Suarez has, in relation to the Evra racial abuse incident, already “apologised to anyone he offended" This is in effect a non-apology. <span class="apple-style-span">Saying "I'm sorry that you felt insulted" to someone who has been offended by a statement is no apology at all. Such a statement does not admit that there was anything wrong with the remarks made, and additionally, it may be taken as insinuating that the person taking offense was excessively thin-skinned or irrational in taking offense at the remarks in the first place. When it comes to the issue of racism we need to ensure a clear unambiguous statement is made that leaves no room for doubt. </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Tahoma", "sans-serif";"></span></em></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><em><span class="apple-style-span"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";">Your letter compounds that failure in that you also fail to address the quite specific demand that Suarez and LFC provide a public apology to Patrice Evra for the racial abuse he suffered. The significance of this non apology is not lost on fans or the general public and has been interpreted as an obstinate refusal to acknowledge the central allegation of racist abuse. This has provided subliminal comfort to racist and bigots all over the country. This is entirely separate from and in addition to the player apology that was provided by LFC for Suarez's refusal to shake Evra's hand at a recent match. </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Tahoma", "sans-serif";"></span></em></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><em><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";">Whilst we note your work with Sporting Equals, however, we urge LFC to open up dialogue and partnerships with local black and anti racist organisations in this city. We have a huge amount of experience, skill and commitment. National mainstream organisations being parachuted into Liverpool to work on issues of race, without any local links or having their work informed by a local historical context is unacceptable. This is no substitute for working in genuine partnerships with local organisations, history has shown this in the success of others gone before. We are heartened that our Prime Minister is taking this issue seriously, and happy that the Anthony Walker Foundation endorses our message, though of course we look to LFC for a direct, respectful and appropriate response to the pertinent issues shared by our communities in response to the conduct of LFC, its player, its employees and management.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Tahoma", "sans-serif";"></span></em></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"><em>In relation to Black History Month we are aware you are currently in early negotiations about how LFC may work with communities<span style="color: #1f497d;"> </span>to support the MBHM programme. We support any initiative that positively impacts on good race relations in Liverpool and beyond. I’m sure you will be aware that the Chair for this group has signed up to the concerns we continue to highlight in our letters to you. Could you please provide us with further details cited by you of LFC's work with Show Racism the Red Card and Kick It Out over an above their national programmes or campaigns?</em></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify;"><em><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";">We restate our original requests and ask that you formally respond in writing to each specific point and the points highlighted in this letter. We repeat our offer to meet with you to discuss these matters and in effort to facilitate joint consensus on these issues. This is a very serious matter and the absence of both a serious and considered response to our concerns is very disappointing. This issue cannot be simply swept under the carpet and requires that you engage with us in a genuine effort to provide genuine anti racist leadership in our fantastic multiracial city.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Tahoma", "sans-serif";"></span></em></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"><em> Yours respectfully,</em></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Consortium of Liverpool and National Black and Anti- Racism Organisations:</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";">Gloria Hyatt MBE</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"> Teach Consultancy Limited</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";">Liverpool Black Leadership Forum</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";">Femi Sowande </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";">Merseyside Black History Month Group </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";">Eric Lynch</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"> Slavery History Tours<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";">Alec Mcfadden</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"> Merseyside Coalition Against Racism and Facism </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";">Alec Mcfadden</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Merseyside TUC</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";">Paul Sesay Smith</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"> Diversity Group and National Diversity Awards</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";">Earl Jenkins</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"> Kingsley United </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";">Paul Jenkins</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"> North West Unite Against Facism </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Zita Holbourne</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> Black Activists Rising Against Cuts</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Shantele Janes</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> Cheshire Halton and Warrington Race Equality Centre </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";">Tracey Hylton</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"> Edit Consultancy </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";">Lee Jasper </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";">London Race and Criminal Justice Consortium</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";">Peter Herbert</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">OBE</b> Society of Black Lawyers</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";">Simon Woolley</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"> Operation Black vote</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";">Charles Crichlow</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"> National Black Police Association </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";">Dave Weaver</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"> 1990 Trust</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";">Stafford Scott</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"> Tottenham Defence Campaign</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";">Viv Ahmun</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"> Coreplan</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div align="left"><br />
</div></div>Lee Jasperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03941960163596740027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5340545416812917534.post-17558299874425211822012-02-26T07:38:00.001-08:002012-02-26T08:22:10.054-08:00Radio Merseyside Upfront Programme - racism in football<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Radio Merseyside Upfront Programme -</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong> presents the news and views of Liverpool's black community.</strong> </span><br />
<br />
<span id="yui_3_2_0_1_1330265414910274" lang="EN-GB"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Click link to listen:</span></strong> </span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/search?q=upfront%20phina%20oruche" id="yui_3_2_0_1_1330265414910273" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><strong><span style="color: red;">http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/search?q=upfront%20phina%20oruche</span></strong></a><strong> </strong></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-GB"></span><br />
<div><span style="font-size: large;">Programme content: </span></div><div id="yui_3_2_0_1_1330265414910293"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Image Detail" height="287" id="main-img" src="http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02058/sport-barnes0_2058991c.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; visibility: visible;" title="Target: John Barnes backheels a banana off the pitch during match at ..." width="460" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="ingCaptionCredit"><span class="caption">Target: John Barnes backheels a banana off the pitch during match at Everton in 1988</span> <span class="credit">Photo: GETTY IMAGES</span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><span style="font-size: large;">John Barnes sets out his view on racism in football. He sets out his defence of LFC. Liverpool & National Black And Anti - racist Organisations speak to the issue of racism in football, the LFC Suarez saga and racism in Liverpool. Vinny Thomlinson, former chair of Merseyside Black Police Association outlines racism its impact on the city of Liverpool and society, Eric Lynch a member of LNB & ARO talks about racism and his historical perspective and Neil Danns premier league footballer talks of his experiences.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span> <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" height="296" id="ihover-img" src="http://ts2.mm.bing.net/images/thumbnail.aspx?q=1618151415569&id=bc9312d46a7c3560fb2898c22b62c7c8" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="197" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Neil Danns </td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="yiv2144409005Apple-style-span"><b></b></span><br />
<div id="yui_3_2_0_1_1330265414910288"><span class="yiv2144409005Apple-style-span"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Radio Merseyside Upfront</strong></span></span></div></div>Lee Jasperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03941960163596740027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5340545416812917534.post-34331570532133994452012-02-23T05:33:00.000-08:002012-02-23T05:33:16.216-08:00Liverpool and Luis Suárez 'critically undermined' anti-racism efforts - GuardianBy <a class="contributor" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/andyhunter" rel="author"><span style="color: #005689;">Andy Hunter</span></a> <br />
<div class="publication" sizcache="0" sizset="63">(Originally published at: <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/"><span style="color: red;"><strong>guardian.co.uk</strong></span></a>, <time datetime="2012-02-20T19:13GMT" pubdate="">Monday 20 February 2012)</div><div class="publication" sizcache="0" sizset="63"><br />
</div><div class="publication" sizcache="0" sizset="63"></time><span style="font-size: large;">• Liverpool Black Leadership Forum writes to Kenny Dalglish<br />
• The club 'presided over worst racism incident in recent years'</span></div><div class="publication" sizcache="0" sizset="63"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Luis Suárez" height="240" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Football/Clubs/Club_Home/2012/2/20/1329764066419/Luis-Su-rez-007.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A prominent group of black leaders has criticised Liverpool's handling of the Luis Suárez racism affair. Photograph: Michael Regan/Getty Images<br />
<br />
<div align="left"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/liverpool" title="More from guardian.co.uk on Liverpool"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><strong>Liverpool</strong></span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> have been accused of critically undermining "efforts to combat racism in football and the wider society in general" with their handling of the </span><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/luis-suarez" title="More from guardian.co.uk on Luis Suárez"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><strong>Luis Suárez</strong></span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> controversy and asked to issue an unreserved apology to Patrice Evra by a prominent group of black leaders.</span></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left" sizcache="0" sizset="69"><span style="font-size: large;">In an open letter delivered to the club and the manager, </span><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/kenny-dalglish" title="More from guardian.co.uk on Kenny Dalglish"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><strong>Kenny Dalglish</strong></span></a><span style="font-size: large;">, signed by local and national black leaders plus several anti-racism organisations, Liverpool are fiercely criticised for contesting the findings of an independent tribunal appointed by the Football Association which led to Suárez receiving an eight-match ban for racially abusing the </span><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/manchester-united" title="More from guardian.co.uk on Manchester United"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><strong>Manchester United</strong></span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> defender.</span></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: large;">Though Suárez apologised for using the word "negro" in his confrontation with Evra at Anfield last October and for refusing to shake the France international's hand at Old Trafford recently, when Dalglish also apologised for his post-match television interview with Sky's Geoff Shreeves, the letter calls on the club and the striker to apologise directly to Evra.</span></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: large;">The letter says: "LFC actions, in vehemently rejecting the findings of the FA inquiry, their public displays of support for a player found guilty of racist abuse and his subsequent refusal to shake the hand of Evra at a recent game is completely unacceptable. These actions we believe could be considered as inciting racial intolerance.</span></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: large;">"Whilst the subsequent apologies for the failure to engage with the traditions of a pre-game 'hand shake' are to be welcomed, there remains deep concern about LFC's absolute refusal to accept the findings of the FA's investigation. As such these apologies fail to meet the test of genuine remorse and understanding. This is further negated by LFC's failure to apologise for racism either through the club or Suárez.</span></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: large;">"Neither have LFC recognised or acknowledged the consequent damage to race relations resulting from their actions and recognised by many people of all races across the country. As a result efforts to combat racism in football and the wider society in general have been critically undermined.</span></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: large;">"Compounding these serious errors is the failures of Liverpool's civic leaders, many of whom have remained silent on these critical issues and have failed to publicly condemn LFC's decision not to robustly and effectively challenge racism."</span></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: large;">The open letter is signed by members of the Liverpool Black Leadership Forum, Merseyside TUC, North West United Against Facism, the Society of Black Lawyers and the National Black Police Association, among others.</span></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: large;">Gloria Hyatt MBE, of the Liverpool Black Leadership Forum, said: "Liverpool Football Club has presided over the worst incident of racism in football seen in recent years. Their misguided handling of Suárez/Evra has let down all of those in the city who worked hard to challenge racism and make Liverpool a better place to live for everyone."</span></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-size: large;">Lee Jasper, a human rights and race equality campaigner, said: "The club, including the owners, the players and the manager, need to realise the enormous damage caused by their reluctance and obdurate behaviour. Kenny Dalglish used to manage Celtic; he ought to know the importance of stamping out bigotry. The club failed the city, the nation as a whole and in particular Britain's black communities. Their abysmal lack of leadership on this issue has given a green light to racism. They must make urgent repetitions and make a clear and unequivocal apology."</span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Lee Jasperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03941960163596740027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5340545416812917534.post-69491657809897830512012-02-23T05:23:00.000-08:002012-02-23T05:23:18.980-08:00Liverpool FC accused of inciting racism by community groups - BBC<div class="introduction" id="story_continues_1"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">(Article originally published at:</span></span></div><div class="introduction"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"> <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside"><strong><span style="color: red;">www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside</span></strong></a><span style="color: black;">)</span></span></div><div class="introduction"><br />
</div><span style="font-size: large;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Gloria Hyatt" height="171" src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/58607000/jpg/_58607261_58607260.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="304" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gloria Hyatt from the consortium said the incident has raised tensions in Liverpool</td></tr>
</tbody></table></span><div class="introduction"><br />
</div><div class="introduction"><br />
</div><div class="introduction"><span style="font-size: large;">Black community groups from Merseyside have accused Liverpool Football Club of inciting racism through its handling of the Luis Suarez affair.</span></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The player was banned for eight matches after an independent panel found he racially abused Manchester United's Patrice Evra during a game in October.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">He then refused to shake Evra's hand but he and the club later apologised.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Liverpool Football Club said it was committed to playing its part in the fight against racism.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It said the club and Suarez had already expressed disappointment over the events at Old Trafford.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The community groups laid out their concerns in a letter to Kenny Dalglish and the club's directors.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The Consortium of Liverpool Black and Anti-Racism Organisations includes teaching consultant Gloria Hyatt, Eric Lynch from Slavery History Tours, and Femi Sowande, from Merseyside Black History Month Group.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="cross-head">'Issued apologies'</span> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Also involved are Peter Herbert, from the Society of Black Lawyers, and Paul Jenkins, from North West Unite Against Fascism.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">They are calling on the club to accept the findings of the Football Association and that Suarez should publicly apologise to Evra over the initial incident.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In a statement, the club said: "Liverpool FC made clear its disappointment with what happened recently at Old Trafford and both Luis Suarez and Kenny Dalglish issued apologies. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">"The player did not previously appeal the FA sanction, served his suspension and apologised to anyone he had offended. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">"In light of recent events, the club have met with a number of key national and local stakeholders on these issues. We are also working with Sporting Equals, an independent UK-wide charity and one of the leading experts in equality and diversity in sport to develop a strategic action plan encompassing both our staff and external stakeholders."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="cross-head">'Raised tensions'</span> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It said: "The club has a long and successful track record in the area of social inclusion both at home and abroad and we will continue to build on the work we have already done. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">"We are committed to playing our part, alongside the game's authorities and other agencies, in the fight against racism and discrimination of any sort."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Ms Hyatt, from the consortium, said: "In a city like ours, where we have black and white living happily side by side, it has raised tensions and people have said that it has damaged a reputation, not just of Liverpool FC but of our city. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">"We will be known as a city that is intolerant to race and different races."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The Anthony Walker Foundation, set up after the racist murder of the teenager, has also said there were concerns about how the case was handled.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It said last week that lessons should be learned from the incident, which reflected badly on the city.</span>Lee Jasperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03941960163596740027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5340545416812917534.post-18108729259491581622012-02-22T09:28:00.000-08:002012-02-22T09:56:04.624-08:00Liverpool Football Club responds to anti racist's concerns.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGjPrzbF7LVWNEFQ3U7GNO0JN6igEi4PLswn3xnEAxK5-yQvyRs7Uc-AF8l28vJCTV9jBP6vNRQmXOGVAx2oY-XJERx4tFFKnYwPgBIj8s8P6P9qxEFzuTjTwXz4WgZo_rrmbHeyxYl3Q/s1600/evra+handshake+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" closure_uid_pqed1i="2" height="212" lda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGjPrzbF7LVWNEFQ3U7GNO0JN6igEi4PLswn3xnEAxK5-yQvyRs7Uc-AF8l28vJCTV9jBP6vNRQmXOGVAx2oY-XJERx4tFFKnYwPgBIj8s8P6P9qxEFzuTjTwXz4WgZo_rrmbHeyxYl3Q/s320/evra+handshake+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="left"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 18pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The recent and on going furor surrounding Liverpool Football Club’s handling of the Luis Suarez/Patrice Evra incident continues to illustrate the depth and breadth of racism in the UK.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 18pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The recent public letter sent by <a href="http://leejasper.blogspot.com/2012/02/community-leaders-anti-racist.html"><strong><span style="color: red;">18 prominent black and anti racist organisations</span></strong></a> to LFC has been the catalyst for further denial of the racist nature of this miserable affair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 18pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">In seeking to bring clarity to the debate I want to make a few things clear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no accusation that Suarez himself is a racist. He made racially derogatory and offensive remarks that are unacceptable in the modern British game.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 18pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Secondly nobody accused LFC of being a racist club. What was said is that their handling of this particular affair was extremely poor and incited further racism and that they should do something about it. Liverpool has a moral responsibility to football and the country as a whole to ensure that they set the highest standards when dealing with issues of race.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 18pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">And what is being asked of them? That Suarez should apologise to Evra. He and the club are both, I believe morally compelled to do so. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 18pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">In addition, that LFC make a public statement alongside others committing themselves to opposing racism and finally organise a conference on racism in football. All simple things, that would go a long way to repairing some of the damage done by LFC’s lack of leadership on this issue. Hardly a life sentence is it? </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 18pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">In response and reported on by the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-17101933?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter"><strong><span style="color: red;">BBC</span></strong></a>, LFC have said they are committed to tackling racism. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 18pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 18pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><strong>"Liverpool FC made clear its disappointment with what happened recently at Old Trafford and both Luis Suarez and Kenny Dalglish issued apologies.”</strong></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 18pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 18pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Whilst true, LFC have consistently denied the existence of any racist element in this matter</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 18pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 18pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><strong>"The player did not previously appeal the FA sanction, served his suspension and apologised to anyone he had offended”.</strong></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 18pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 18pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">One assumes that the reason no appeal was made was because both Suarez and LFC accepted he was guilty. The apology issued was in reference to the failed “ hand shake” and not for using racially offensive language. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 18pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 18pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><strong>"In light of recent events, the club has met with a number of key national and local stakeholders on these issues. We are also working with Sporting Equals, an independent UK-wide charity and one of the leading experts in equality and diversity in sport to develop a strategic action plan encompassing both our staff and external stakeholders."</strong></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 18pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 18pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 18pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">This sounds promising and we looked at Sporting Equals website and to our surprise we found that </span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1f1f1f; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 18pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Dr Zafar Iqbal, 1st Team Doctor at Liverpool FC is also Sporting Equals Physical Activity Ambassador. We have written to Sporting Equals for further clarification.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 18pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1f1f1f; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 18pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">We will also be requesting the names of those “national and local key stakeholders” who LFC say they are working with. Preliminary enquiries by us have not been able to establish LFC is in contact with any local black organisations in Liverpool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 18pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1f1f1f; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 18pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">LFC continued…</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 18pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 18pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 18pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><strong>"We are committed to playing our part, alongside the game's authorities and other agencies, in the fight against racism and discrimination of any sort."</strong></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 18pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Whilst we welcome this preliminary statement by Liverpool in response to our letter, their initial failure to appeal the Suarez suspension speaks volumes. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 18pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">We hope in the spirit of reconciliation, and in line with LFC stated commitment to play it’s part in the fight against racism, that a full apology is issued.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 18pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Black people are reporting to me that Suarez name is now being used as a form of racial abuse. There can be no more compelling reason for LFC to reconsider their position.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 18pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">It is vital that LFC are seen to be absolutely unequivocal in their opposition to racism. In this instance that requires they provide an immediate apology to Evra and acknowledge and repair the damage done by their mishandling of the whole affair. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 18pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Lee Jasper</span></div><div align="left"></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Lee Jasperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03941960163596740027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5340545416812917534.post-45826423784266332932012-02-22T09:20:00.000-08:002012-02-22T09:56:57.639-08:00Community leaders & anti racist organisations accuse Liverpool FC of inciting racism - press release<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" aria-busy="true" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowboxCaption" class="spotlight" height="192" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/432015_362837667067822_362831157068473_1321966_1497100321_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: medium;">Press Release</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Monday February 20th</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-size: medium;">Contact </span></strong><strong><span style="font-size: medium;">Lee Jasper: 07984 181797</span></strong><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Liverpool Football Club has come under fierce criticism from an influential group of high profile, local and national black leaders, alongside a host of anti racist organisations. <br />
<br />
The group have written an open letter delivered today accusing LFC and manager Kenny Dalglish of grossly mishandling the Saurez/Patrice Evra affair contributing to the incitement of racism in football and wider society. We know that they have had good advice to assist them and refused to take it choosing instead to continue on in this manner. <br />
<br />
The group called on LFC to accept the findings of the FA investigation that concluded that Suarez had racially abused Evra and offer an immediate and unreserved apology to Evra.<br />
<br />
<span id="yui_3_2_0_1_13296600266393909">LFC is accused of colluding with racism by seeking to dismiss the FA's findings and racially aggravating this sensitive issue by inappropriately and misguidedly showing public team support for Suarez post the publication of the FA's investigative report into these matters. The refusal of Suarez to shake Evra's hand was a further incitement of racism. </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;">The group called on LFC to acknowledge the implicit racism involved and issue a statement with other civic leaders committing themselves to opposing racism and to commit to organise a conference on racism in football. <br />
<br />
Gloria Hyatt MBE said<br />
<br />
" Liverpool Football Club has presided over the worst incident of racism in football seen in recent years. Their misguided handling of Suarez/Evra has let down all of those in the city who worked hard to challenge racism and make Liverpool a better place to live for everyone."<br />
<br />
Lee Jasper a national human rights and race equality campaigner said<br />
<br />
" The club including the owners, the players and the manager need to realise the enormous damage caused by their reluctance and obdurate behaviour. Kenny Daglish used to manage Celtic he ought to know the importance of stamping out bigotry. The club failed the city, the nation as a whole and in particular Britain's black communities. Their abysmal lack of leadership on this issues has given a green light to racism. They must make urgent reparations and make a clear and unequivocal apology".</span><span style="font-size: medium;">Letter sent to Liverpool FC:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt;">Statement of Intent</span></b></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131100" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="yiv417830820apple-style-span" id="yui_3_2_0_1_132969265813199"><i id="yui_3_2_0_1_132969265813198"><span id="yui_3_2_0_1_132969265813197" style="font-size: 14pt;">We the undersigned wish to express our grave concerns about the inadequate responses of Liverpool Football Club to the findings by the FA regulatory commission that determined Luis Saurez was guilty of racially insulting the Manchester United player, Patrice Evra.</span></i></span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="yiv417830820apple-style-span"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Football is a unifying sport providing pleasure and entertainment to billions of people across the planet. Young people from every corner of our world passionately support their team. Football players are held in high regard and viewed as positive role models.</span></i></span><span class="yiv417830820apple-style-span"><i></i></span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="yiv417830820apple-style-span"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Clubs, players and managers have an important and globally recognized responsibility to demonstrate their commitment to the principle of common decency and fair play. Throughout the world, both on and off the football pitch they inspire and socially educate billions of young people who admire and mimic their actions.</span></i></span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="yiv417830820apple-style-span"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The issue of racism in football is one that requires unambiguous anti racist leadership. The actions of LFC in the run up to and following the publication of the FA’s findings fell short of the high standard of leadership expected for a team of their standing in the football community. </span></i></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131117" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="yiv417830820apple-style-span" id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131116"><i id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131115"><span id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131114" style="font-size: 14pt;">LFC actions, in vehemently rejecting the findings of the FA inquiry, their public displays of support for a player found guilty of racist abuse and his subsequent refusal to shake the hand of Evra at a recent game is completely unacceptable. These actions we believe could be considered as inciting racial intolerance.</span></i></span><span class="yiv417830820apple-style-span"><i></i></span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131125" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="yiv417830820apple-style-span" id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131124"><i id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131123"><span id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131122" style="font-size: 14pt;">Whilst the subsequent apologies for the failure to engage with the traditions of a pre game “hand shake” are to be welcomed, there remains deep concern, about LFC’s absolute refusal to accept the findings of the FA’s investigation. As such these apologies fail to meet the test of genuine remorse and understanding. This is further negated by LFC’s failure to apologise for racism either through the club or Suarez. </span></i></span><span class="yiv417830820apple-style-span"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span></i></span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="yiv417830820apple-style-span"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Neither have LFC recognised or acknowledged the consequent damage to race relations resulting from their actions and recognised by many people of all races across the country. As a result, efforts to combat racism in football and the wider society in general have been critically undermined. </span></i></span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="yiv417830820apple-style-span"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Compounding these serious errors is the failures of Liverpool’s civic leaders, many of whom have remained silent on these critical issues and have failed to publicly condemn LFC’s decision not to robustly and effectively challenge racism. </span></i></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="yiv417830820apple-style-span"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Such is the overwhelming power of the Premier League and the influence of clubs such as LFC it is imperative that this situation cannot be allowed to stand. </span></i></span><span class="yiv417830820apple-style-span"><i></i></span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="yiv417830820apple-style-span"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The international reputation of Liverpool as a city committed to race equality is at stake. In addition there is a real and urgent need to restore confidence in the campaign against racism in football, both here, in the UK and across the world.</span></i></span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="yiv417830820apple-style-span"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">To this end we have four key demands;</span></i></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span></div><ul id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131134" type="disc"><li class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="yiv417830820apple-style-span"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">that LFC publicly accept the findings of the FA into the Suarez case. </span></i></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span> </li>
<li class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131133" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="yiv417830820apple-style-span" id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131132"><i id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131131"><span id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131130" style="font-size: 14pt;">that LFC and Suarez publicly apologize to Patrice Evra. </span></i></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span> </li>
<li class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="yiv417830820apple-style-span"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">that LFC in partnership with Liverpool and national black and ethnic minority organisations commit to and sponsor an international conference on the issue of eradicating racism in football.</span></i></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span> </li>
<li class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="yiv417830820apple-style-span"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">that civic leaders in addition to LFC sign up to a public declaration reaffirming their commitment to combating racism and promoting race equality through pro active actions. </span></i></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span> </li>
</ul><span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: medium;">Love Football, Hate Racism: </span></strong><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>Facebook: </strong><a href="https://www.facebook.com/LFHRUK"><strong><span style="color: red;">https://www.facebook.com/LFHRUK</span></strong></a><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Love-Football-Hate-Racism-UK/362831157068473?sk=wall"></a></span><br />
<strong><span style="font-size: medium;">Twitter: follow @LFHRUK </span></strong><br />
<div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt;">Consortium of Liverpool and National Black and Minority Organisations:</span></b></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131162"><br />
</div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Gloria Hyatt MBE</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> Teach Consultancy Limited</span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Liverpool Black Leadership Forum</span></b></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Femi Sowande </span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Merseyside Black History Month Group </span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131158"><b id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131157"><span id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131156" style="font-size: 14pt;">Eric Lynch</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> Slavery History Tours<b></b></span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131150"><b id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131152"><span id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131151" style="font-size: 14pt;">Alec Mcfadden</span></b><span id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131149" style="font-size: 14pt;"> Merseyside Coalition Against Racism and Facism </span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131142"><b id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131141"><span id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131140" style="font-size: 14pt;">Alec Mcfadden</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> Merseyside TUC</span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131145"><b id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131144"><span id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131143" style="font-size: 14pt;">Paul Sesay Smith</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> Diversity Group and National Diversity Awards</span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Earl Jenkins</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> Kingsley United </span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131170"><b id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131169"><span id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329692658131168" style="font-size: 14pt;">Paul Jenkins</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> North West Unite Against Facism </span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt;">Zita Holbourne</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt;"> Black Activists Rising Against Cuts</span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt;">Shantele Janes</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt;"> Cheshire Halton and Warrington Race Equality Centre </span><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span></b></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Tracey Hylton</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> Edit Consultancy </span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Lee Jasper </span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">London Race and Criminal Justice Consortium</span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Peter Herbert</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> <b>OBE</b> Society of Black Lawyers</span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Simon Woolley</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> Operation Black vote</span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Charles Crichlow</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> National Black Police Association </span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Dave Weaver</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> 1990 Trust</span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Stafford Scott</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> Tottenham Defence Campaign</span></div><div class="yiv417830820MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Viv Ahmun</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14pt;"> Coreplan</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Lee Jasperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03941960163596740027noreply@blogger.com