Now the Euros are well underway I hope we can focus on the football rather than the tedious debate about footballers “taking the knee”. The latest round in the tiresome culture war is another fine example of how participating in it turns one’s brains into mush. It’s a colossal waste of time.
Critics of taking the knee pretend they really think that England footballers are supporting an American Marxist political movement rather than making a symbolic gesture to oppose racism. Only a racist could disagree with the basic statement “black lives matter”, which is what the players are really rallying around, accompanied by a gesture which goes back to American footballer Colin Kaepernick who took the knee during the national anthem before a match in 2016.
