The Black Lives Matter movement is in danger of treading a path that will diminish public support for what the organisation is trying to achieve, and the first signs of that came during Sky Sports’ broadcast on Tuesday evening.
Pundit’s Jamie Redknapp and Patrice Evra had removed their BLM badges, after divisive tweets from the organisation’s Twitter account had come to light.
As Israel moves forward with the annexation of the West Bank, and mainstream British politics is gagged of the right to critique Zionism, and Israel’s settler colonial pursuits, we loudly and clearly stand beside our Palestinian comrades.
FREE PALESTINE.
— #BlackLivesMatterUK (@ukblm) June 28, 2020
For Israel to move annex it on 1st of July is an affront, and it is heartbreaking that Britain is shielding such horrific actions.
We stand in solidarity with Palestinians, and all struggling with them.
2/2— #BlackLivesMatterUK (@ukblm) June 28, 2020
They didn’t just criticise Israel either, but also took aim at new Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, indicating a change in tact and the politicising of their movement, something that Redknapp and Evra, as well as Kelly Cates and Gary Neville, according to The Sun, were clearly keen to distance themselves from.
The Daily Mail also report that it’s now being discussed by several players whether to make a public statement on the issue.
After many of them took a knee in support of racial equality for black people, and the Premier League ensured that all clubs had Black Lives Matter in the place of player’s names on the backs of their shirts recently, it appears that a swift u-turn may now be in the offing.