Rees-Mogg defends England fans who boo players for taking the knee

Jacob Rees-Mogg defends England fans who boo ‘Marxist’ players for taking the knee claiming it is ‘pushback against wokeness’ – despite Boris Johnson urging fans to get behind the team at Euro 2020

• Rees-Mogg said fans were opposed to the ‘underlying political message’ of BLM
• Comments suggest Cabinet rift over the anti-racist protests by England team 
• Yesterday Priti Patel rebuked by PM for accusing players of ‘gesture politics’
• Michael Gove said players allowed to show ‘strength of feeling against prejudice’
• Find out the latest Euro 2020 news including fixtures, live action and results here.

Senior minister Jacob Rees-Mogg today defended fans who boo England’s football players for taking the knee, claiming they were part of a ‘pushback against wokeness’ in Britain.

The Commons Leader said that ugly scenes that have marred recent internationals were caused by supporters opposed to the ‘underlying political message’ of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement.

In a podcast for the ConHome website he said that BLM, which popularised the symbolic gesture amid a wave of anti-racist protests in the US last year, was ‘a Marxist movement’ that is ‘not sympathetic to our current civic structures’.

His comments suggest a rift in the Cabinet over the anti-racist protests carried out by the England team. Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions plan to take a knee before Friday’s Euro 2020 game against Scotland, and they will be joined by their opponents.

Yesterday Priti Patel earned a rebuke from Boris Johnson after she accused players of ‘gesture politics’ and also refused to criticise fans.  No 10 said the PM ‘wants to see fans cheering and not booing’.

And this morning Michael Gove said people should have the opportunity to show their ‘strength of feeling against prejudice’.

The Commons Leader said that ugly scenes that have marred recent internationals were caused by supporters opposed to the ‘underlying political message’ of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement.

England’s Mason Mount, right, and Declan Rice take the knee ahead of kick off in Sunday’s opening Group D game at Wembley

This morning Michael Gove said people should have the opportunity to show their ‘strength of feeling against prejudice’.

A spokesman for the Prime Minister (pictured today) has told reporters: ‘He wants to see fans cheering and not booing’

Speaking to ConHome, Mr Rees-Mogg said there ‘wasn’t any evidence’ that the booing was motivated by racism. 

He added: ‘There is a pushback more generally against wokeness (like) the really rather scandalous behaviour of the Oxford dons who are refusing to teach people at Oriel (College) who through no fault of their own are at a college that happens to have a statue of Rhodes that is difficult to take down and they shouldn’t be taking down anyway.’ 

Boris Johnson slapped down Priti Patel yesterday after she attacked England’s footballers for taking the knee before games.

The Home Secretary used an interview with GB News to accuse players of ‘gesture politics’ after their symbolic anti-racism protest before beating Croatia at Wembley.

She also  refused to criticise fans at the Euro 2020 opener who booed the team.  

Ms Patel said it was ‘choice for them’ after Gareth Southgate’s side faced jeers from a minority of fans before the game, which they went on to win 1-0. 

No10 refused to back her comments today, with a spokesman for the Prime Minister saying: ‘He wants to see fans cheering and not booing.  

‘He wants to see everyone get behind this England team, and of course Scotland and Wales, who are competing in the Euros, that is very much his position.’    

But shadow culture secretary Jo Stevens said: ‘It beggars belief that a day after the excellent win against Croatia, senior government ministers are still trying to provoke a fight with the England football team. 

‘Ministers should get on with their jobs and get behind the home nations.’ 

Ms Patel claimed the Black Lives Matter protests last summer had a ‘devastating’ impact on policing as she criticised the toppling of the statue of 17th century slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol.

‘It’s all well to support a cause and make your voices heard,’ she told broadcaster GB News.

She claimed the Black Lives Matter protests last summer had a ‘devastating’ impact on policing as she criticised the toppling of the statue of 17th century slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol.

‘But actually, quite frankly, and we saw last year in particular with some of the protests that took place, I speak now very much from what I saw in the impact on policing.

‘It was devastating. Not only that, I just don’t subscribe to this view that we should be rewriting our history, pulling down statues, the famous Colston statue, and what’s happened there.

‘Toppling statues is not the answer. It’s about learning from our past, learning from our history and actually working together to drive the right outcomes.’ 

Asked whether England fans were right to boo the national team, she said: ‘That’s a choice for them, quite frankly.’ 

Pressed on whether she would boo the team for taking the knee, the Home Secretary added: ‘I’ve not gone to a football match to even contemplate that.’

Last week, when asked if Mr Johnson backs players taking the knee, the Number 10 spokesman said: ‘Yes.

‘The Prime Minister respects the right of all people to peacefully protest and make their feelings known about injustices.

‘The Prime Minister wants to see everybody getting behind the team to cheer them on, not boo.’

The symbol of anti-racism solidarity gained attention in American football in 2016 as they protested against police brutality and racism in the US.

The act has since spread further and was adopted by football players in the UK partly to demonstrate that racism should not be tolerated in the sport.

But there have been incidents of a minority in the crowd booing players as they take the knee before games, including before England’s friendly matches against Austria and Romania last week.

A minority of England fans once again defied calls not to jeer the players as they took the knee before kick-off in the Euro 2020 clash with Croatia on Sunday.

Requests not to boo fell on some deaf ears, with an audible round of jeers from some of the expected 22,500 crowd at Wembley, although cheers from the vast majority soon drowned them out.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said taking the knee before football games is ‘a choice for each team’ as he refused to condemn Scotland for deciding not to perform the gesture, apart from when they play against England.

But he added: ‘I profoundly don’t think you should boo your own team before kick-off.’

The Labour leader, who describes himself as a ‘massive football fan’, said: ‘For the first time for the young players, you don’t boo them before you’ve even kicked off.’

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