{"id":892,"date":"2007-10-15T03:33:01","date_gmt":"2007-10-14T17:33:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/slackbastard.anarchobase.com\/?p=892"},"modified":"2007-10-15T03:38:58","modified_gmt":"2007-10-14T17:38:58","slug":"fascism-versus-football","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/slackbastard.anarchobase.com\/?p=892","title":{"rendered":"Fascism versus Football"},"content":{"rendered":"

The decision by Melbourne Knights<\/a> to allow their facilities to be used, on Saturday, October 13, by the local branches of two international neo-Nazi organisations (Blood & Honour (B&H) and the Hammerskins) in order to hold a gig<\/a> is a step backwards, both for the club, and for the image of football in Victoria. It also contradicts the general aims and principles upon which the game is meant to be conducted.<\/p>\n

The governing body for football (soccer) in Victoria is Football Federation Victoria<\/a><\/strong> (FFV). As part of its general rules of conduct, FFV advises players, parents, coaches, teachers and administrators to “Respect the rights, dignity and worth of all participants regardless of their gender, ability, cultural background or religion” (officials are instructed to “Give all young people a ‘fair go’ regardless of their gender, ability, cultural background or religion”). These, obviously, are worthy aims. But how does allowing for the propagation of neo-Nazi ideology<\/em> serve to promote them? To put it mildly, it does not.<\/p>\n

The recent assault<\/a> on a Jewish teenager in Melbourne — by a pair of racist bogans armed with baseball bats and blonde mullets — prompted a more extensive AAP<\/strong> article on anti-Semitism in Australia, Anti-Semitism ‘reaching scary levels’<\/a> (The Age<\/em>, August 23, 2007). The impetus for the article was presumably provided by the fact that the bashing followed on from the widely-publicised assault on Jewish businessman Menachem Vorchheimer last October (by a number of incredibly brave Ocean Grove footballers), and racist Internet postings made in August by some other terrifically sporting cricketers<\/a> from McKinnon<\/a>. Note that, to its credit, McKinnon Cricket Club appears to have responded much more positively to the racist commentary (allegedly) made by some of its senior members than Ocean Grove Football Club did in relation to the racist abuse and assault of Vorchheimer: in the immediate aftermath, club coach Matthew Sproule denied<\/a> any wrongdoing<\/a> on the part of his boys. (The situation was further complicated by the involvement of an off-duty policeman<\/a> in the incident.)<\/p>\n

The recent commentary<\/a> by the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Kevin Andrews, regarding the supposed inability or reluctance of African immigrants — and those from Sudan<\/a> in particular — to ‘integrate’ into Australian society sparked much, er, reflection<\/a>. So too<\/a>, did the recent murder of one of those immigrants, 19 year-old Liep Gony, and the bashing of another, 17 year-old Ajang Gor.<\/p>\n