It is an enormous shame that the Millwall fans who booed their players for ‘taking a knee’ in support of Black Lives Matter last week were not better acquainted with one of the British BLM leaders, Sasha Johnson — they might have taken a knee themselves out of admiration. In August Ms Johnson tweeted: ‘The white man will not be our equal but our slave.’ If there is one thing Millwall supporters respect it’s aspiration, and Ms Johnson has that in abundance. I am sure the FA, the English Football League, and indeed the Millwall club board, who condemned the booing, all wish Sasha the best of luck in her exciting project.
One voice should not be allowed to demean an entire movement, of course. The trouble is — and it is so tiresome to have to point this out every time the issue is raised — Ms Johnson’s views are not especially extreme in a foul organisation that wishes to dismantle capitalism and the family. Taking a knee signals support for the organisation, not for racial equality, and that is the end of the story. The football authorities and the broadcasters were very clear about this when football resumed in June after lockdown. Players would be asked to take a knee in support of Black Lives Matter, upper case, and the point was reinforced by players, commentators and pundits wearing Black Lives Matter badges. So Millwall’s assertion that taking a knee was in no way an endorsement of BLM’s political objectives, but simply a gesture in support of love, peace and happiness among all peoples, is deceitful, cowardly and ludicrous. It is like stretching out your right arm, shouting ‘Sieg Heil!’ and then telling onlookers: ‘It’s just a gesture — nothing to do with old Adolf, mate.’
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