Red Card - An Educational Magazine from Show Racism the Red Card

REDCARD

THE MAGAZINE OF

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS WITH DANIEL STURRIDGE ENIOLA ALUKO

CESC FABREGAS

WE ANSWER BURNING QUESTIONS ABOUT RACISM, IMMIGRATION AND THE MEDIA. PLUS LOADS MORE INSIDE! x172588_SRtRC_p4_lh.indd 1

08/02/2017 10:55

ABOUT US

3

YOUNG AMBASSADOR – ISRA MOHAMMED

4

BURNING QUESTIONS

5

HOW CAN I SRtRC? 6 CLEVELAND RED SOCKS & WEAR RED DAY

7

BREXIT 8 IMMIGRATION 9 ENIOLA ALUKO

10

FAR RIGHT GROUPS & ISLAMOPHOBIA

12

DANIEL STURRIDGE

14

FANS FOR DIVERSITY

16

THE MEDIA

19

CESC FABREGAS

20

GYPSY, ROMA & TRAVELLERS

22

HOMOPHOBIC, BIPHOBIC & TRANSPHOBIC BULLYING

24

FORTNIGHT OF ACTION

27

Credits written by

Sam Doyle

Cat Hutchinson

Gavin Sutherland Photos SRtRC

Liverpool FC

Chelsea FC

The FA

Fans for Diversity

FACEBOOK

Head Office Show Racism the Red Card The Linskill Centre Linskill Terrace North Shields NE30 2AY Tel 0191 257 8519 info@theredcard.org

facebook.com/theredcard facebook.com/theredcardscotland facebook.com/theredcardwales

TWITTER

@SRtRC_England @srtrcscotland @theredcardwales

Scotland Office 1-3 Woodside Crescent Glasgow G3 7UJ Tel 0141 353 1199 info@theredcardscotland.org

YOUTUBE

Wales Office Office 2k Transport House 1 Cathedral Road Cardiff CF11 9SD Tel 02920 236 057 wales@theredcard.org

Youtube.com/showracismtheredcard

Southern England Office c/o SAVS 29-31 Alexandra Street Southend-on-Sea SS1 1BW Tel 01702 356 020 shona@theredcard.org

LINKED IN

Linkedin.com/company/show-racism-the-red-card

MAGAZINE SPONSORS

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08/02/2017 10:55

We work with young people to help them understand what racism is, where it comes from and how we can work together to stop it happening. With professional footballers, past and present, we aim to inspire young people to challenge racism in their schools and communities.

ABOUT US

S

i nce 1996 Show Racism the Red Card has visited schools and football clubs across England, Scotland and Wales to teach young people about the dangers of racism. 2016 was the campaign’s 20th birthday!

Hundreds of footballers, from all over the world, have attended our events over the years.

They answer young people’s questions and share their experiences of racism, on and off the pitch. By doing this, we now reach almost 50,000 people at events and education sessions every year.

EDUCATION WORKERS

SRtRC has Education Workers in England, Scotland and Wales. Their job is to work with young people in primary and secondary schools and with adults from lots of different professions, to talk about racism. SRtRC Education Workers can ask difficult questions and challenge people to consider their own prejudices, views and opinions. With a range of fun activities and lots of discussion they support people in their journey to both understand, and do something to stop racism.

It isn’t an easy job, but it is very important and they love what they do!

YOU MIGHT HAVE MET SOME OF THE TEAM IN YOUR SCHOOL...

WHAT IS RACISM?

Sometimes people don’t realise that racism is taking place when it is. So, let’s think about what makes something racist. Racism is based on a belief that some groups are superior compared to other groups.

People can receive racism because others make judgements about four things – their country of birth (nationality), their skin colour, their religion or their culture (way of life).

People can be racist in many different ways often starting with prejudice, name calling and jokes. It can lead to serious bullying, vandalism, physical violence and in extreme cases murder and death.

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08/02/2017 10:55

WE’D LIKE YOU TO MEET ISRA MOHAMMED SHOW RACISM THE RED CARD’S FIRST YOUTH AMBASSADOR

I

sra is a 15 year old student at Kenton High School in the North of England. She delivered a speech at her school challenging Islamophobia, which quickly hit the internet and went viral.

We met with her to find out a little more.

Can you tell us a little about your background?

“I was born in Sudan, so I am from Africa, but I have an Irish nationality and passport because I lived in Ireland for about 7 years. I visit Sudan, my home country, every year. I lived in Saudi Arabia for 4 years also before moving to Ireland, as we move around a lot for my dad’s job. Finally, we came to Newcastle.”

What was it that motivated you to deliver your speech to the pupils in your school?

“My motivation was the negativity in the media about Islam, that motivated me to do it and that there aren’t as many black people in the school so I wanted to stand up for them and show that what is going on in the media is not actually true. Also, my little sister got a lot of discrimination at school, so much so that she had to move schools and my brother also got bullied a lot after the Paris attacks*.”

Did things happen to you before the Paris attacks?

“Yeah, there were things going on before the Paris attacks, which I obviously took notice of, but that didn’t really push me to do it. I’ve always wanted to do something about racism but I just didn’t really know when, and then after that happened I thought, it’s time. It’s time to actually do something about what’s going on.”

went onto YouTube from the school website and people were sharing it and sharing it and then it went viral! I did my assembly in one of the teacher’s staff meetings too.

It was funny to see the different reactions, a lot of them were smiling and crying and stuff, it was really good!”

How do you think Islam is portrayed in the media?

“I think the media just finds what will catch people’s eye, or make people want to read an article. And there’s a lot of negativity, they never really look at the positive sides of Islam and everyone just follows the crowd. It’s not fair because there are a lot of positive things to Islam that people don’t really know about. People just see what is going on in the media and that’s what they follow. The media just shows Islam being linked to terrorism and it’s really not. What terrorists do is actually against Islam that’s what people don’t really understand. There’s more negativity now than ever in the media.”

What do you see as the positives about Islam?

“I think the positives of Islam are that it is about peace.

We have a lot of different rules to others but at the end of the day we are human as well. I think the best part is that we like to donate to charity and it’s all about giving back and being a good person.”

So, what has the reaction been since then?

“The reaction has been quite good, lots of positivity.

Obviously going in and doing it I knew there would be some kinds of negativity about it, but it was mostly positive. There were even people who I didn’t know who messaged me and said ‘You were really good’ and ‘I really understand what’s going on now’. It was really great to see that people have changed their minds.”

Tell us about your speech; was it just to your year group?

“The first time it was just to my year group then to the other year groups throughout the rest of the week. After that it (*Refers to Paris terrorist attacks of November 2015)

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08/02/2017 10:55

IS IT RACIST TO SAY ‘PAKI’? YES DEFINITELY! ‘Paki’ is a racist word no matter how, when and why you say it, even if you are using it to describe a local shop or newsagent. The word ‘Paki’ has been used as a weapon to hurt people and to make them feel different, unwelcome and not valued; it is very painful to those who it is aimed at.

Sometimes people use ‘Paki’ or ‘Chinky’ as nicknames and have no intention of hurting or upsetting anyone. However, if you had experienced this word being shouted at you whilst someone attacked you or spat in your face, would you want to hear it being used?

Even if a word is used to just refer to a nationality, because of the way the word has and is being used, the meaning has changed and it has become a damaging, hurtful and racist word.

IS IT RACIST TO SAY ‘CHINKY’? YES The word was invented by racist people to make Chinese people, or anyone thought to be Chinese, feel unwelcome. It was also used to mock their appearance and language. Throughout history in Britain this word has been used during attacks on people, take-aways and restaurants.

The word is extremely hurtful and offensive – making people feel frightened and threatened. It is commonly used in England as a nickname for take-aways, but there are other ways to describe a take-away that won’t be hurtful to anyone.

Ask yourself this – do the people who use the words ‘Paki’ and ‘Chinky’ say them when they are in the shop? If not, why not?

CAN WHITE PEOPLE RECEIVE RACISM? YES, ABSOLUTELY! We all have a skin colour, nationality and culture, and some of us have a religion.

This leaves every single one of us vulnerable to experiencing racism.

It is important to mention that racism usually happens to people in what is called a minority group (a small group in a country) from the majority group. So whilst racism can happen to anybody, it is more likely to happen to people from minority ethnic groups in Britain, for example a Gypsy or Traveller, a Muslim, Black person or a Polish person.

AM I ALLOWED TO SING BAA BAA BLACK SHEEP? YES, OF COURSE! It is absolutely fine to sing Baa Baa Black Sheep, it is a harmless nursery rhyme. The song is not racist in any way.

Don’t always believe everything you hear! Lots of silly rumours and stories have been written in newspapers saying you’re not allowed to say certain things – such as blackboard, black coffee or black bin bags.

Myths like this can be dangerous, making people annoyed or frustrated at Black people.

This is unfair and can lead to more racism.

DID YOU KNOW...

The word ‘race’ is used often but did you know that race does not exist in humans? Many scientific studies have been done around this subject and it has been proven that all humans are 99.9% genetically identical. Even though we can look very different it is the 0.1% that determines what colour our skin, eyes and hair will be; whether we are short or tall, and lots of other things that make up what we look like.

BURNING QUESTIONS

W

e answer the questions about racism and immigration that you’ve always wanted to ask. For more questions, look out for the Burning Question marker throughout the magazine!

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08/02/2017 10:55

HOW CAN I SRtRC? 6 x172588_SRtRC_p5_lh.indd 6

ORGAN IS TO RA E AN EVE NT IS FOR A E MONEY N ISS UE

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EN G H N P W BEI U AK NE IS ST E SP EO ACI M R SO

FIND OUT WHAT YOUR SCHOOL IS ALREADY DOING TO REDUCE RACISM AND BULLYING, MAKE SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENTS I POLI NVITE A T TO C ICIAN OR LOCAL OME ACTI A YOUR ND SPE VIST SCH AK AT OOL

T SUPPOR EAR SRTRC W RED DAY

JOIN A THAT N ORGANIS SUPP ORTS ATION AND H P UMAN EACE RIGHT S

THE MOST IMPORTANT ADVICE WE CAN GIVE IS IF YOU EVER SEE, HEAR OR FEEL RACISM ALWAYS TELL SOMEONE, PREFERABLY AN ADULT, AS THEY ARE MOST LIKELY TO BE ABLE TO HELP DEAL WITH THE PROBLEM DON’T IGNORE IT AS IT WILL CONTINUE HAPPENING AND PROBABLY GET WORSE

REMEMBER!

If you are age 13 or over you can keep in touch by following us on:

@srtrc_England facebook.com/theredcard www.youtube.com Why don’t you tell us what you are

doing to tackle racism in your school?

08/02/2017 17:08

L IS ISM IONS

CLEVELAND RED SOCKS P

olice and Crime Commissioner for Cleveland, Barry Coppinger, Cleveland Police, and partners Sopra Steria and Tascor showed support for Show Racism the Red Card’s Wear Red Day 2016.

The day took place on Friday 21st October and to show support in tackling racism, officers wore red socks with their uniforms and staff wore items of red clothing. All staff and officers participating in the day contributed £1 which went to the charity. Police and Crime Commissioner for Cleveland, Barry Coppinger, said: “Again I am showing my support for this campaign and I will continue to support tackling racism as it is something I feel very strongly about.

“Racism is completely unacceptable and there is no place for it in Cleveland. That’s why is it important to show our support and to educate people about the consequences of racism, to make it clear that we do not tolerate it.

“I have supported Show Racism the Red Card before by funding six education practitioner training events, providing input across over 130 schools since 2015 and running events for schools at Middlesbrough Football Club and Hartlepool Football Club. “I welcome support from the police as well and I’m sure the ‘Cleveland Red Socks’ will be a force to be reckoned with in helping raise awareness of this important issue.

Chief Constable Iain Spittal said: “Wear Red Day for Show Racism the Red Card is an excellent way to campaign against racism and I am very supportive of the event and the charity. “It is really important to raise awareness of the consequences of racism and how it can affect people’s lives. By encouraging our staff and officers to wear red, we send out a clear message that racism will not be tolerated in Cleveland and it has no place in our society.”

WEAR

S

DAY

how Racism the Red Card is encouraging campaign supporters to wear red as part of a day of action across the UK.

On Friday 6th October in Scotland and Friday 20th October 2017 in England and Wales, young people and adults will wear items of red clothing (even red socks!) to demonstrate their stance against racism and to raise funds to support the delivery of anti-racism education throughout the UK. If everyone who participates donates just £1, thousands more young people and adults in the UK will be able to receive educational workshops from SRtRC. Any funds raised can be sent direct to SRtRC by cheque: SRtRC, The Linskill Centre, North Shields. NE30 2AY. You can also make your donation via SRtRC’s Just Giving page www.justgiving.com/theredcard TEXT DONATE details WRED17 + £amount to 7007 To request a fundraising pack which includes red cards, stickers and further information about getting involved in Wear Red Day – please e-mail info@theredcard.org or call 0191 257 8519 Wear Red Day is an annual SRtRC initiative and will be taking place in October in 2018 and 2019 too! Please stay up to date on the website.

Proud to sponsor the Show Racism the Red Card Schools’ competition.

Working together to end division and fight racism in all its forms.

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08/02/2017 17:21

Y

EXIT

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

ou may have heard a lot of people talking about Brexit and the EU referendum. This has been a very important issue in Britain recently and you might have noticed people getting very passionate and sometimes very angry when they discuss it.

WHAT IS THE EU?

The European Union was originally formed 5 years after World War 2 when France and Germany entered into a pact to ensure their countries would never go to war against each other again. Over time this pact grew to a group of 29 countries acting as a community to allow the free movement of people, goods and money within Europe.

WHAT WAS THE RESULT AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN? On June 23rd 2016 more than 30m people voted whether to leave or remain as part of the EU. This resulted in 51.9% of the voting public deciding they wanted to leave and 48.1% wanted to stay. Lots of people thought that this would mean immediate changes happening with issues such as, who was allowed to live and work in the UK and where the government was spending its money. However, this has not been the case and at the point of writing the process to begin actually legally leaving the European Union has not yet begun. It is likely to take several years for the UK to negotiate its departure. Nobody really knows what will happen as the UK is the first country to ever leave the EU – many of the predictions and promises made by various people before the referendum are already being shown to be impossible.

HAS BREXIT CAUSED MORE RACISM? It wouldn’t be fair to say that Brexit has caused more racism in the UK as the ideas and opinions that have motivated the racist attacks since the EU referendum have always been there.

Immigration, in particular, was a deciding factor for some when voting to leave or remain but it was not the only reason for the result. However, statistics showing an increase of racially motivated hate crime since the result suggests that some people feel more confident in vocalising those beliefs and see themselves as the majority in targeting certain communities and groups of people with abuse.

DID YOU KNOW...

SO, WHAT IS BREXIT?

Brexit was the term given to Britain’s exit from the European Union. Some people in the UK were campaigning to convince people to vote to leave the EU and were given the name Brexiteers. The opposing campaign was often referred to as the Remain Campaign.

Hidden Histo

ries

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Less than 2% of the world’s asylum seekers come to the UK, many are refused refugee status (permission to stay) because of the difficulty in trying to prove the threat to their lives/safety in their country of origin.

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08/02/2017 10:56

IMMIGRATION WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?

I

mmigration is an important and complicated issue across the world today, as it has been throughout human history. The United Nations (UN) estimates that 3.3% of the world’s population, that’s over 200m people, live or have lived in a different country than the one they were born in.

There is a lot of confusion about immigration, and it causes people to feel angry and frustrated towards people who were not born in Britain. Newspapers often have untrue stories about foreign people being treated better than English people. This can cause racism towards people living in Britain, but born overseas.

SO, WHAT IS AN IMMIGRANT? There are lots of different types. . .

IMMIGRANT: A person who has chosen to stay in the country they moved to and take up permanent residence. The majority of immigrants in Britain are here legally. They often go on to earn full citizenship in their adopted country.

REFUGEE: Someone whose asylum application has been successful. They have proved that if they returned to their home country they would face violence and persecution because of ethnicity, religion, nationality, social group or political views.

ECONOMIC MIGRANT: A person who leaves their local community or place of birth looking for work. Currently people from the European Union (EU) are free to work and live in the UK without a visa; people from the UK are also free to move to these countries without a visa (however, due to the UK voting to leave the EU this is likely to change). People who come from outside the EU have to apply for a visa through a strict system on the Home Office website.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT: We regularly hear of people who are described as ‘illegal immigrants’, people who have entered the country through deceptive means, perhaps have not applied for a visa for asylum. Whilst it may feel like this is a big problem for the UK it is the least common type of immigrant. Some people will always try and avoid regulations when moving from one country to another however this applies to a minority of people who come to the UK. STUDENT: A person who is studying at school, college or university. People who want to study in the UK who are from a country that is part of the European Union currently do not have to apply for a visa. A person from outside the EU has to apply for a visa; which is not necessarily permanent and is usually just for the duration the person is studying for. One of the largest groups of ‘immigrants’ are fee paying students and many universities would struggle to survive without the substantially higher overseas fees.

If students are not welcomed here they may choose to study in our competitor countries and the British economy will suffer greatly.

DO WE PAY FOR FOREIGN PEOPLE TO BE IN THIS COUNTRY? NO! There are many different reasons why people come to Britain. Many come for the safety, culture, political freedom and chance of a better life. Few come in hope of free handouts.

This is another myth that newspapers and the media encourage us to believe – remember not to believe everything you hear and make sure you get the facts.

TUBE Visit our YOU tch wa CHANNEL to E’ and HOM ‘THIS IS MY WHAT’S N IO T A ‘IMMIGR RY?’ O T S THE

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08/02/2017 17:09

ENIOLA ALUKO

A

little while ago SRtRC talked to England and Chelsea Ladies FC striker Eni Aluko, who has 32 goals for England and has also played in the USA. In 2014 Eni became the first female pundit to appear on BBC’s Match of the Day. She discussed with us her experiences growing up in Birmingham, playing football around the world and how those experiences have helped shape the person she is today.

Could you tell us about your early life?

“I was born in Nigeria, in Lagos and both my parents are Nigerian. I came to England when I was about 6 months old.

My parents came over to study, my mum studied nursing and my father was a semiprofessional footballer at some London clubs. That is how it all started for me, we stayed in London for a while and then moved to Birmingham.”

There is a lot of negativity and hostility directed at migrants in this country. Have you any advice for children who may experience this?

“My advice would be; always be proud of who you are and where you are from. I think the minute you make apologies for who you are it gives people the impetus to think of it as a negative and as a problem, which can

only encourage them. If you stand up tall and say ‘yes this is where I’m from, it’s very difficult for people to turn that back on you.

“I was always taught to embrace my Nigerian background but also to be proud of being English and being a part of British culture - as a result of this I have never had too many issues around my identity.”

Birmingham is a very multicultural place, have you got friends and family from different ethnic backgrounds?

“Yes, I have friends from all over the world, from growing up in Birmingham, going to University at Brunel – I have friends from places I have never heard of! It allows you to learn about different lives and cultures.

I am lucky to have had that experience. It allows you to be more rounded and have an open mind.”

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10/02/2017 11:28

What would you say to people who are causing hostility and have prejudices against people from other countries?

“I would say ‘educate yourself’! People fear difference, in some ways it’s a survival instinct. If people don’t know about something, they see it as a negative, kind of ‘let’s beat it down before we get to know about it.’ It’s just ignorance really.”

You played in the USA for some time, what was that like?

“It was an amazing experience. I left at 21, very ambitious, but also scared about what it was all about. I came back a better player, a better person and with some great friends.

That experience gave me a lot and it’s made me the person I am today.”

Is education important?

“Yes, education is important. But I think to a certain extent it has to come from the individual. If I said to someone who is a racist person I could invite them to an anti-racism class, they could do that and say ‘I’ve done that, I’m not racist any more’, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s true.

“I don’t think it works like that. It’s about a willingness to be open minded. It’s a long process that is more than just attending a class. This is especially true for young people, these attitudes start when you are very young. For a lot of people it is not necessarily their fault it’s a product of their environment. If we educate young people from a young age they will realise that it doesn’t matter if someone is different Show Racism Red Card Ad.qxp_Layout 1 23/01/2017 11:14 Page 1 to them.”

Unite is proud to support Show Racism the

RED CARD

@unitetheunion Unitetheunion1 Len McCluskey, General Secretary

Tony Woodhouse, Chair – Executive Council

www.unitetheunion.org

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10/02/2017 11:28

FAR RIGHT GROUPS

& ISLAMOPHOBIA NO PLACE FOR HATE

I

n recent times, hatred of Muslims and racism directed at people who are immigrants has been very evident in UK society.

Much of this has been fuelled by misinformation from sections of the media (see page 19), but the problem has been made worse by far-right groups like the so-called English Defence League and Britain First.

The English Defence League and Britain First, along with many other far-right groups, have made Muslims and immigrants the focus of their activities and hatred.

Both of those groups deny they are racist, but often their members come from failing nationalist parties like the British National Party and National Front. Far-right groups come and go, but their messages are always at the core, about hating others, because of skin colour, religion, nationality or culture.

Far-right groups like the EDL and Britain First have used methods like public protests to spread their messages, but have also increasingly used social media.

ISLAMOPHOBIA

I

slamophobia is the term used to describe anti-muslim hatred. Islamophobia can be defined as prejudice, intolerance and hatred of Muslim people or those perceived to be Muslim.

If you witness this form of racism, or experience it yourself, it is really important that you report it to someone. Speak to an adult you trust, this could be a teacher, parent or relative. You may also want to consider reporting it to an organisation like ‘Tell Mama’. They record incidents of Islamophobia, which is building a picture of how widespread this form of racism has become in the UK. info@tellmamauk.org

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10/02/2017 11:28

HOPE NOT HATE

H

OPE NOT HATE exists to provide a positive antidote to the politics of hate.

The organisation combines research with community organising & grassroots actions to defeat hate groups at elections and to build community resilience against extremism.

Matthew Collins is the author of ‘Hate: My Life in the British Far-Right’ which tells the story of how he got involved in the far-right in the 1980s, subsequently left and began actively campaigning against them.

We talked to Matthew about some of the challenges for us all in countering the messages of far-right groups.

Islamophobia and widespread anti-immigrant sentiment helped create the conditions for groups like the EDL and Britain First to grow and there has been a lot of media coverage about them over the last few years. Although these issues haven’t gone away, these groups are either imploding or membership is falling – why do you think that is?

“Since the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) became more mainstream - or became part of the mainstream, some of the views the extreme far-right held now have mainstream currency too. Racism, Antisemitism, anti-immigrant sentiment and Islamophobia were never the sole domain of the extreme far-right anyway, one look at our media gives a fair indication of that. Racism has never really gone away and it has now begun to truly raise its ugly head again.”

Social media has helped far-right groups reach new audiences, what can young people do to avoid unwittingly interacting with these groups?

“Good question! Quite simply, do not interact with them!

You can use social media without ever bumping into racists or fascists (well, ones you do not know), as long as you are careful, but because people are curious they often initiate some kind of contact with extreme far-right views.

Facebook for instance uses algorithms so it thinks because you join a far-right group on social media to argue with people that you may wish to see more of that far-right content. Caution is always the best, but it can be done!

Some of us unfortunately, just cannot avoid it...”

I s it worrying that some parties in the UK and around the world are saying things that would previously be the preserve of far-right groups?

“Yes, but I think we have to put our hands up and admit that we are in troubling times in many regards with what we have witnessed both here and in the US last year and that the work continues. We also have to accept our battle was never won even if now, it feels like we had a little breather for a while.”

We’ve

worked with lots of schools over the last few years and have met young people who have been exposed to EDL messages, perhaps family members and friends have been to their ‘protests’ – what would your advice be to a young person hearing this kind of thing at home?

“Tricky one. I guess there are generational issues, irrational fears etc, that surface in the home sometimes. My advice is to always be confident in what we know for ourselves, about people we know ourselves. It’s very difficult when someone we love and otherwise respect says things or does things that we feel are wrong.

The world is changing whether , but we like it or not, we have to the EDL uivalent d e n o ti q We men ve also been e Wales. It make sure that for everybody a d h n there it is a peaceful, welcoming and are otland a ps in Sc tter where you ist. u o r g friendly place for all.” no ma ups ex seems , far-right gro K U in the

IS IT RIGHT TO BE SCARED OF MUSLIMS? There are approximately 1.7bn Muslim people in the world and only very tiny percentages have ever been involved in any terrorist activity. In 2011 there were 174 terrorist attacks across the European Union – none of these were carried out by Muslim extremists. It is very important to remember that there are extremist groups who are fighting for many different causes, for example animal rights, or extreme Christian groups. It is not fair or right to judge all people who belong to the same religion or group and blame them for the terrible criminal activity of a few.

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08/02/2017 10:57

DANIEL STURRIDGE

D

aniel Sturridge has represented Great Britain at the Olympics, played and scored for England at the World Cup and European Championships and scored over 50 goals for Liverpool FC. He has supported Show Racism the Red Card for a number of years, attending educational events and taking time out to talk to young people about issues of racism.

We caught up with Daniel and asked him for his thoughts, experiences and advice about racism.

Was racism something you ever came across growing up?

word it hurts, you feel like ‘I can’t believe they have said that’.

“Yes, racism was something I experienced growing up. It’s not nice, nor is it something that anyone would expect or like to experience, but unfortunately these things do happen. At a young age, it’s surprising to be the recipient of racism because you don’t expect to experience these types of things and it is difficult, but you just have to be strong and deal with any situations in the best way possible.”

“It is all about equality, about everyone having the same level of everything. What matters most is multiculturalism and being as far away from racism as possible to give everyone an equal opportunity.”

Who can suffer from racism?

How would it be dealt with if a white person suffered from racism?

“I believe that regardless of your skin colour, you cannot justify racism. You cannot give me a reason that would make me think it is OK to abuse any person, because we all know that when someone uses an abusive

If someone said to you that they had experienced racism, but that they have learned to just accept it and didn’t want to make a fuss, what would you say to this?

“Racism is not something to accept because it is not, and should not, be deemed as normal. You can make a fuss in a positive way by letting people know about what is going on and having conversations with people who have, or haven’t experienced racism to get their view and try to understand why certain people may think it is alright to behave in that way.”

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08/02/2017 10:57

You represented Great Britain in the Olympics.

What is it like to take part in an event which brought so many people together?

“It was beautiful, an amazing experience and very multicultural. There are so many happy people from different places mixing and talking about culture and all sorts of things. The Olympics are such a significant event that everybody looks to because they bring the world together. It’s very relaxed and mixed and it is amazing to see all those cultures being brought together harmoniously.”

If you could give one piece of advice to someone who has used racist language or behaviour what would it be?

“First of all, I would want to understand why they think it is normal or acceptable to use racist language and then I think I would have to make them understand why it is not right; why it is not something that anyone should have to suffer.

I believe that it is important for people to understand that everyone, regardless of what ethnicity they are, have the same issues and the same things that go on in their life.

We all have good days and bad days and so on and so forth.

“Everybody is human and we all have similar traits, regardless of what ethnicity we are. We all wake up in the morning and brush our teeth and go through the same things at some point in our lives – we probably have the same things going on. We are all living in the same world and there is no place for racism!”

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08/02/2017 17:10

FANS FOR DIVERSITY A nwar Uddin has vast experience of equality and football and is now the driving force behind The Football Supporters’ Federation and Kick It Out’s ‘Fans for Diversity campaign.’

During his 13-year playing career for the likes of West Ham United, Bristol Rovers and Dagenham & Redbridge, he became one of the most high-profile Asian footballers in British football.

Following his career, Anwar has used the knowledge gained from the game to share messages of equality and inclusion through efforts with Show Racism the Red Card and currently with Kick It Out and the Football Supporters’ Federation.

We spoke to Anwar about Fans For Diversity and how SRtRC, Kick It Out and the Football Supporters’ Federation are proactively campaigning for equality in the sport.

What is your involvement with Kick It Out and the Football Supporters Federation?

“I lead on the Fans for Diversity Campaign which is run in partnership between Kick It Out and the Football Supporters’ Federation.

The campaign is simply about giving every fan a voice and celebrating diversity. Fans are drawn from all aspects of our society and the sport is truly unique in that it brings all these people together regardless of difference.”

Prior to your role as lead on the Fans For Diversity campaign, you used to work for SRtRC. What was that like?

“What I enjoyed about working for SRtRC, similar to my role with Kick It Out and the FSF, is the sense of reward that it gave you.

Travelling around the country delivering equality and diversity session in schools, colleges and universities was hard work but that feeling you get when you know 200 students will go home and at least think about what you have been saying, and possibly share that experience with their friends and family is brilliant.

You feel that you are making a real difference for the younger generation and the way they think about issues of race and religion.”

What is the nature of the relationship between SRtRC, Kick It Out and the FSF? “We are all working towards positive change and using football as a way of achieving that. As an ex-professional footballer who has been fortunate enough to have worked for all three organisations, I know of the fantastic achievements they have had with such limited resources.

So, it’s key we complement each other and support in the areas that we specialise in.”

Is the diversity in British society reflected on the terraces?

“Not at present. You only have to look at our capital or some of most diverse cities and towns across the UK. Bradford, Oldham, Rochdale and Birmingham are all extremely diverse in every single way - religion, race, nationality and sexual orientation – but this is not reflected in stadiums and this is something we are working on with fans and their clubs to improve on for those who would like to attend.”

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08/02/2017 17:10

Is Fans For Diversity attempting to mobilise football’s massive support base in a positive direction?

“We want to take all the positive energy that fans provide to their teams and allow them to have an effect not just on the game, but also on society to move forward and show just how diverse a bunch we really are.

We want to show everyone from every club that football should be for all. Football needs to welcome people from all different backgrounds. The only colour that should matter is that of the team’s shirt.”

Why do people from some communities choose not to attend matches even though they love football?

“I think it’s because of the environment that some communities perceive there to be within football grounds - some don’t see them as a welcoming place and others may not have a genuine connection with the club that others may have inherited for example.

“What we are trying to do through the Fans For Diversity campaign is to highlight the positive stories of diversity amongst supporters and how good it can be when communities join each other in a stadium.

“We want to shine a light on the fact that so many more women, people of different cultures and religions and the LGBT community are going to watch football.”

Do you believe people know what they are doing when they shout or chant discriminatory abuse, or is it a case of them just getting carried away?

“Unfortunately, this still does happen, I think some people have no idea about the ramifications of what they are saying or singing. Anti-racism and anti-homophobia awareness should come from the home environment but unfortunately some people don’t get that.

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So within schools it is imperative that this is learned, which is why I think the work of Kick It Out and Show Racism the Red Card is amazing. Football should be an environment that teaches tolerance and acceptance which allows diversity to grow; the sport should try and lead by example.”

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10/02/2017 11:28

How can someone deal with people chanting horrible things?

“Kick It Out has a reporting app, available on iPhone and Android devices, which allows you to anonymously report any incident of discrimination whilst you are at a game or any time after. This also allows them to track how many incidents are happening and where and when.

“Another route is to contact your nearest steward or safety officer, during or after a match, to inform them of the incident that took place. Any evidence that can be gathered at the time, via photos and videos, can also be crucial in dealing with any incident.”

Do you think that one day football could be held up as an example of how communities should be - people with different cultures, religions, nationalities and skin colours working together and living harmoniously?

“That is what we are trying to do with Fans For Diversity to create a community like that! We want to see people of all backgrounds going to watch their local team, or even supporting England abroad like I have been fortunate enough to do with the FSF. “Organisations such as Kick It Out, SRtRC and the FSF need to be the support mechanism to allow this to happen - but it is a slow process.”

To find out more about the Fans For Diversity Campaign, The FSF or Kick It Out e-mail: Anwar.

Uddin@fsf.org.uk Download the Kick It Out reporting app today, available on iOS and Android, via the App Store or Google Play.

“

GMB is always at the forefront of the fight against racism. We are proud to sponsor Show Racism the Red Card.

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JOIN TODAY: WWW.GMB.ORG.UK/JOIN

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08/02/2017 17:11

THE ROLE OF THE MEDIA N

ewspapers are incredibly powerful. Although sales of print newspapers are declining, a lot of people access news from the websites of newspapers. Television news also draws from the topics newspapers are covering, most TV news outlets have a round-up of the newspapers for example.

Some newspapers do carry stories that are inaccurate, misleading or even untrue about different groups of people.

Over several years some newspapers in the UK have carried stories like this about Asylum Seekers, Muslims and Immigrants.

As of December 2nd 2016, UK newspapers ran 263 front page stories about immigration and immigrants over the course of a single year. Including 56 from The Daily Mail and 68 by The Daily Express.

Have a look at these front pages and ask yourself the following questions: •

How would they make the reader feel about Immigrants and Muslims?

• How would people who happen to be Muslims or Immigrants feel reading them?

• Could they spread hatred?

The stories behind the headlines may be untrue or unbalanced, but the damage is done. Sometimes newspapers do have to print retractions or apologies for stories, but often they are not given the same prominence as the original headline.

HOW DO I KNOW?

This is one of our favourite questions at SRtRC! It’s an effective tool to challenge stereotypes, prejudice and racism. As a young person it is important to ask yourself this question as often as you can, particularly when given new information to make sure that you have plenty of evidence and facts behind your opinions. Not checking facts may mean that you become involved in the problem of racism, or treat people unfairly and create unnecessary anger and frustration.

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08/02/2017 17:11

CESC FABREGAS

S

pain and Chelsea midfield maestro Cesc Fabregas talked to Show Racism the Red Card about racism and the beautiful game.

Have you enjoyed being back in England and playing football here again?

“Very much. I have always liked the Premier League. I think it is a fascinating league, full of great players and great atmosphere, so it’s nice to be back.”

You have lived in Barcelona and London, what do you think living in two great cities like these has done for you as a person?

“I was born in a small town near Barcelona (Arenys de Mar), it’s a great city, great weather and where football is everything to young kids and that helped me a lot.

Then coming to London I learned maturity, confidence and discipline. It gave the ability to become a football player, which is what I wanted.”

In your career you have played with people from lots of different countries, what do you think is the value of playing with people

of such diverse backgrounds and cultures?

“Well, I think you grow up as a person, you learn things and mature. You get to know people who you have nothing in common with or everything in common with, you make friends with some and some, not so much. The best thing in football, for me is that I have many friends from all over the world, for me that is very important.”

Do you think that football is an important example of how people can get on together?

“Yes, thanks to football I have plenty of friends that I never imagined I could have.

Football; it’s funny, sometimes you will play against someone and think ‘I could never like this person’ and then years later you play with them and realise it is one thing to be on the pitch – we all get transformed in a way, we all want to win. But then there is off the pitch, where you have to be a good person, colleague and a team mate and it always provides a nice surprise.”

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10/02/2017 11:29

Unfortunately, there has been a number of racist incidents in football recently, do you think that the game has made progress in tackling racism?

“Yes, especially from the players point of view. We see everything in football in terms of we all get on with each other, if we are from Africa, Europe or the States. At the end of the day, it’s about the person. I have played with many great players from all countries around the world, I have never had any problems.”

Sadly, racism affects lots of young people, what advice would you have for someone experiencing racism?

“You have to know who you are and be a strong personality to be able to show that whatever they say or whatever they believe, that you are a person like them. It doesn’t matter about your nationality or colour of your skin. We all want the same, the world to have peace and footballers to win and we want football to be a healthy sport. We don’t want to create a bad atmosphere at all, especially over something as stupid as the colour of our skin, it’s just the stupidest thing!”

Sometimes people are affected by what they see or hear in the media, does that affect you at all?

“In Spain especially, in England it is not as bad. I feel that people in England talk football, in Spain they watch things and talk about everything but the football sometimes. We move away from the reality if what it is, which is football.

Football is passing the ball, scoring goals, nothing else and that is what I like about it in England. You don’t show people the other face of football. That’s what it should be.”

IF I WAS DESCRIBING SOMEONE SHOULD I SAY BLACK OR COLOURED? YOU SHOULD SAY BLACK A word like coloured is very old fashioned, reminding people of a time when Black people were treated very unfairly in Britain.

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10/02/2017 11:29

GYPSIES, ROMA AND TRAVELLERS G

ypsies and Travellers are some of Britain’s oldest and most established ethnic groups.

Gypsies first arrived in Britain more than 500 years, so became part of Britain before both William Shakespeare and Queen Elizabeth were even born.

Many people think Gypsies, Roma and Travellers only live in caravans and are always on the move. Whilst there is a history of travelling amongst these communities, many of them now live in houses or settled caravan sites. Being settled does not mean that a person is no longer part of the travelling community.

The travelling community includes people who travel for work, such as circus, showground and fairground people, boat people – who live and work on barges; Scottish Gypsies and Travellers; Irish Travellers, new Travellers and Roma people.

Gypsies, Roma and Travellers often receive racism and experience stereotyping. When you hear something about a community, it’s always important to question the information. Is the story definitely true? Do you belong to a community – does everyone in that community behave the same way?

DID YOU KNOW...

Janusz Korczak, a doctor and children’s author, dedicated his like to working with poor children in Poland where he ran orphanages looking after over 200 Jewish children.

When the Nazis invaded, he repeatedly refused freedom in order to stay with the children. He was last seen holding their hands as they were all led to the train to Treblinka concentration camp.

ARE ‘GYPPO’ AND ‘PIKEY’ RACIST WORDS? YES ‘Gyppo’ and ‘Pikey’ are extremely racist and offensive towards anybody from the Traveller groups. Both words have a history of being used to hurt and offend people.

These words should never be used – even if it is towards someone who is not a gypsy or traveller.

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08/02/2017 17:12

W

hen we think about racism, we often think about name-calling, bullying and people being horrible to others. Sometimes however, people with racist ideas can be physically violent to people with different skin colours, religions, nationalities or cultures.

Stephen Lawrence, Anthony Walker and Johnny Delaney were all attacked and killed because of one thing about them.

Stephen and Anthony were young men who were killed because they were black. In 2003 Johnny was killed by a group of boys because he was an Irish Traveller. This tragedy had a huge effect on his family as described by his sister Nellie in this letter.

NELLIE’S LETTER ny. my brother John to ed unger en pp ha at Dear Friends, thing th sisters and my yo l o fu tw aw my e d th t an ou er tell you ab with my moth d.

I would like to years old. I live e city of Liverpool in Englan 15 ow n am I d th an in ey ve li an we to see lie Del ller family and and and we get ve gl ra n My name is Nel T E h er ris ov I l an al el mily and We are e we get to trav is always being together as a fa us ca brother Patrick. be ly mi fa veller ough, hday or being from a Tra fferent people. Best of all th Whenever there is a family birt di y. always have It’s really good of rb we ea ts ways n because meet lo al d d il ts an ch en es ar er ac dp ll pl ve an g ra gr interestin aunts and good being a T cousins, uncles, ther. It’s also ge to it y jo growing up with en ways are all there to were little we al we n celebration, we he W h. ug la . g us funny laughter was always makin other games, and it was really he r; lots of fun and he ot br e it d my little ny was my favour Man’s Bluff an much that day! He also taught hn d n Jo li r B he ay ot pl br r to w so us all My olde s. He taught us ho w to break dance, we laughed decided to make ht e sh fig d w an lo pil us th of had lots r Patrick ho was staying wi ’t understand my little brothe ler, she couldn usin Ann-Marie al co sm r d ou , an r me ti le when he taught r al and warm he e kept getting sm ndow! We all had breadcrumbs w to read. Anot pil ho e n th ee t il as E to r e te th wi sis de us from the ile. as fast as she ma eing Johnny’s sm ing the toast to se ed fe od some toast, but s go wa s y wa n it hn ever and w that Jo are really why? Then she sa mouths. That was the best toast meet people who we g n li el av r tr e ou ar eir homes and butter around We help make th metimes when we . so us t ers to bu ed o, er to n n ds them pretty flow good ma of frien g e ts in ar lo ll d se ve an d ha us an I s, th In school are OK wi and driveway nasty things to ing their houses t people we meet nst us. They say nasty to us. Mos tidying up their trees and improv at all and are prejudiced agai e by not nice communities nic le we meet are op pe me so ut B hnny in 2003. ’t know why. at the market. old brother Jo avellers. I don ar tr ye ke 15 li ’t my n to do for everyone ed us and say they out what happen l birthday party ia ab ec y sp or a st d ve sa ha ry to join the tell you the ve she had arranged friends over to d his an of ay o hd tw rt bi te I would like to vi in to crisps and Margaret’s 50th esmere Port to to buy some pota op sh a to in t It was my Aunty her Johnny went over to Ell n his friends and way home they we ted to threaten Johnny and brot e y th M d. on n , te So at y. see if it da to ar s a hot summer’s shop and they st he could look to e wa if th t er e I ep y. sid ke in rt op pa ys sh ly bo e fami nasty ny asked th there were some ft the shop, John le ys gone now’. bo lemonade, but e th n he t boys oks like they’ve lo names. W t le ‘I ib id rr sa ho rk. But the eigh n pa em ma e th e th th ss ’ call ro es ‘Y ac e. me to go outsid short-cut ho d got caught, ded to take the was safe for them . Johnny’s frien ci ld de fie ds e n th ie ss fr ro his ac then started ds and . The nasty boys ny and his frien outside Johnny ht hn t ug Jo go ca e t ey as th go ch y n n to he hn d W at the boys here, and starte managed to get him free but Jo was walking his dog; he shouted ow n om fr ed ar n Gypsy.’ appe hnny died. A ma only a ******* ck to help him. He s Jo ba wa t ly n he al , we it fin y n l ed ti hn rv un so Jo chest at him ‘He dese uld cry in the head and ys shouted back bo ty as n kicking Johnny very upset and wo y little e th re of we e er n th O fa ?’ d at th en heart. M My mother an ‘Why did you do he died of a brok r have gone away Johnny this way. at se th lo id sa to my ly mi um fa M all our k, died too. ad and brothe , when you It really hurt my father, Patric to understand. He thinks his D r te la s ar about. So please ye u yo wo T ll . em te se me ti ’t to e n d th es te mber our do n all thing that I wa udice…please reme ow aged 7 but he l ej n pr fu is d aw y e an dd th Pa ed s r tr wa he ha brot ck. This her people’s will soon be ba suffered from ot ve ha o wh travelling and le op t all the pe hink of what are thinking abou name calling. T d an g yin ll bu fe. Say no to Johnny. keep yourself sa to is u yo to e ial messag Finally, my spec hnny.

Jo r happened to ou Your Friend, Age 15 Nellie Delaney

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08/02/2017 10:59

HOMOPHOBIC, BIPHOBIC AND TRANSPHOBIC BULLYING H

omophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia are issues that affect a lot of people, particularly at school with a Stonewall report in 2014 showing that 86% of secondary school teachers and 45% of primary school teachers said that pupils in their school, regardless of sexual orientation, had experienced homophobic bullying.

SRtRC recently completed a project, ‘Tackling HBT Bullying’, that educated young people of all ages about these issues and worked with teachers too.

WHAT DO THE TERMS HOMOPHOBIA, BIPHOBIA AND TRANSPHOBIA MEAN?

HOMOPHOBIA refers to a range of negative attitudes and feelings, including ignorance, prejudice and hatred towards people who have identified as, or are perceived to be: GAY – When a man or woman is emotionally and physically attracted to someone of the same sex LESBIAN – When a woman is emotionally and physically attracted to another woman BIPHOBIA can be experienced by people who are, or are thought to be: BISEXUAL – when someone is emotionally and physically attracted to both men and women. Not necessarily at the same period of time or equally strongly.

TRANSPHOBIA – As with homophobia and biphobia, transphobia includes a range of negative attitudes and feelings to people who are, or are thought to be:

TRANSGENDER / TRANS – This is a broad, umbrella term used to describe a range of people who don’t fall neatly into general society categories of male or female for a variety of reasons.

There are some excellent terminology guides available online from organisations including Stonewall and Gender Identity Research and Education Society. Remember if you are unsure of how to describe someone - ask how that person prefers to be described.

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08/02/2017 17:12

“THAT’S SO GAY!”

We bet you’ve heard this before. The word ‘gay’ is sometimes used by people to describe something as bad or rubbish, or used to insult someone – regardless of their sexual orientation.

The problem with using the word gay in a negative way is that people associate gay with bad, negatives and wrong and yet 99% of respondents to a Stonewall survey had heard the word gay used in this way in school.

This creates an environment that is unwelcoming and unsafe for pupils, especially if they are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Trans. It is contributing to homophobia. Being gay is not wrong or bad and using the word in a negative way can cause a lot of harm.

S

haun Dellenty is a Deputy Head Teacher and the founder of ‘Inclusion for All’. He delivers training with young people and adults about strategies to challenge homophobic bullying and worked with SRtRC on the Tackling HBT Bullying project.

We caught up with Shaun and asked him why challenging these forms of bullying is so important.

“It’s vital that schools challenge this kind of bullying, because essentially we are talking about saving young peoples’ lives. As a school leader myself I take that responsibility very seriously and if I don’t then really I shouldn’t be in education, should I? “We know that around the country there are countless children we know about and some we don’t know about, whose lives are being destroyed by homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying. That is not good enough. But sadly, many teachers, school leaders and school governors just lack the training to enable them to be confident to prevent that happening. And that’s why people such as SRtRC and myself travel around the country and abroad, delivering training to make teachers feel that it’s the right thing to do and that they know what to do and they are confident about that.”

DID YOU KNOW...

Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia are illegal Under a law called the Equality Act 2010, people cannot be treated differently or unfairly because of their sexual orientation. Nobody has the right to bully, harass or intimidate – this should always be reported so it can be dealt with properly. 65% of lesbian, gay and bisexual pupils in British schools said they have suffered from homophobia.

Whilst it is difficult to gain accurate statistics about the number of LGB people living in Britain, it is estimated to be around 3.7m!

DO GAY PEOPLE CHOOSE TO BE GAY? NO! Being gay is just the way people are, most people know from a young age if they are gay, even if they can’t describe it. You can’t stop yourself from being gay if that is part of who you are.

If you are heterosexual, you don’t choose to be!

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08/02/2017 17:12

SRTRC SCHOOL COMPETITIONS

Show Racism the Red Card run national school competitions in England, Scotland and Wales annually.

The competitions encourage young people to produce anti-racism themed artwork, creative writing, film and music.

Young people of all ages and abilities can win some great prizes and receive them at a special awards ceremony.

To keep up to date with all the latest dates for registration and entry in the SRtRC School Competitions please visit www.theredcard.org/competitions for all of the information.

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08/02/2017 11:00

FORTNIGHT OF ACTION

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In Wales and Scotland every October, a period of united action encourages people from many different communities to celebrate diversity and tackle racism. A major aim of the Fortnight of Action is to encourage anti-racism actions, events and initiatives to take place in your community throughout the year.

This year’s FoA will once again encourage top players in Scotland and Wales to put aside their rivalry to stand united against racism by wearing SRtRC t-shirts and holding up red cards prior to their matches. Many schools and grassroots football clubs begin their actions during October in line with professional football and rugby clubs taking their actions.

HOW CAN YOU GET INVOLVED? Why not stand united against racism and inequality with us? You could make your own t-shirts to match your favourite players’ FoA t-shirt and simply walk around spreading a positive message? You could download your own red card from our website, take a photo and send it to the Red Card team to use on Twitter and Facebook. Perhaps you could download a red card and co-ordinate your own anti-racism action before your a football or dance competition? This is a time for getting creative, so get in touch with the Red Card team and share your ideas! We value your suggestions and are always looking for ways to get young people involved in the campaign!

Wales – Jason@theredcard.org Scotland – support@theredcardscotland.org

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