OT - Racism in rugby

[BlackAndGoldSunglasses]

Fuming this morning.

Read this article, and seen more on twitter now about it too: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/64058150

This is incredible. Disgusting. Also, this is a club which has Marcus Watson and Jacob Umaga among the playing staff; peers of Cherif Traore the victim in this "prank". I can't believe this is a thing in 2022 Europe.

That said, of course I can, and it is. Racism continues across society and sport (see Azeem Rafiq and Yorkshire CC for a close-to-home example).

There was an interview with Paolo Odogwu a while back I think, where he said something along the lines of: "we all have these 'Rugby against Racism' patches on our sleeves, but no-one's actually doing anything". If I've misquoted him then I apologise, but that was the gist.

I don't want to get all BLM and 'take the knee', but the fact this is still happening... FFS.

#BeKind

[Shugs]

No place for it anywhere - simple.

[Neils]

Sorry but you are equating the UK to Europe.  Totally different attitudes in many places across Europe. The further East and South you go the more virulent it is. In fact visits to formerly happy going Scandinavian countries would suggest they are going slowly towards a more Euro-centric way of thinking than parts of the UK. 

Not nice article.

[DGP Wasp]

Treviso statement in full.  (Translation courtesy of Google)

With reference to the post that appeared this morning on the social profiles of the green-and-white player Cherif Traore, Benetton Rugby would like to reiterate that it has always condemned with the utmost firmness any expression of racism and/or form of discrimination. They are not part of our culture and do not represent our identity and our values. We have always proved it with deeds, not just with words, and we will continue to strongly support it.

Similar behaviors have nothing to do with sport and in the face of such episodes Benetton Rugby will always be on the side of respecting people, their culture, their ethnicity, their faith and their dignity.

So saying what they would be expected to say in terms of disassociating the club from racist behaviour, but nothing in there about identifying and dealing with those responsible, or about educating the wider squad (based on Traore's account of the reactions of many of his team mates).  They claim that they "have always proved it with deeds, not just with words", but all I'm seeing here are words.

[BlackAndGoldSunglasses]

Sorry but you are equating the UK to Europe.  Totally different attitudes in many places across Europe. The further East and South you go the more virulent it is. In fact visits to formerly happy going Scandinavian countries would suggest they are going slowly towards a more Euro-centric way of thinking than parts of the UK. 

Not nice article.

Sure, and I'm aware of attitudes across Europe having travelled much of it. That said: this is a professional sporting environment, amongst the players who are employed by a club competing at the very top level in a pan-European (I guess that includes SA now) competition. Not racism from fans. There are no, no, no excuses.

[Bloke in North Dorset]

I was recently listening to the German comedian Henning Wehn and the German historian Katja Hoyer talking about British humour. Bear in mind they are both anglophiles who have chosen to live in this country and build their lives here.

They both said the one thing they find hard to understand and accept is English banter. They know that it is mostly a bit of fun and about trying to make people feel part of a group, but they still can't help feeling offended at times by what they know wasn't intended to be offensive but they just can't get their heads around that part of our culture.

They are white so obviously this doesn't get picked up as being racist in these circumstances, but it is tantamount to the same thing.

Now, I'm not denying there are some quite nasty people in our country but I think they really are a minority and when we talk about not being racists al lot of it is just trying to remember that people from different cultures and races can be genuinely offended by what wasn't meant to be offensive or racist.

Rugby, like the armed forces has a particularly strong banter culture so it takes long for cultural changes to happen, but I believe they are happening and  we are going in the right direction, but the way to speed it up is to explain and not castigate, lecture or infantilise people.