Hello Again Supporters
Welcome all new signers. It’s a pleasure to see this petition, this community, against racism in the media, continue to grow. As predicted, the media are back to showing appreciation for Saka, but I did not see him on the cover of any newspaper today. He's only good enough for the front, when racism is the motivation. Piers Morgan (a man whose behaviour towards Megan Markle, has resulted in many people believing that he too, is racist) remarked that, Saka has now 'demolished his demons', supposedly in reference to the aftermath of the missed penalty during the 2020 WorldCup, and quoted in The Daily Fail, (no typo) but I'm definitely biased when it comes to that man, and that newspaper, so I'll leave it there.
Saka was given an 8/10 rating by The Sun, who last month, used a not so flattering photo of the lad, with the headline: Plane Awful. The Daily Star (nothing bright or twinkly about that paper either, but I don't see their publications online very often) opted to report on the teams success as a whole. Their 'Black Ice' headline last month, was the motivation behind this petition. Did they ever apologise? I haven't found an apology online. We're expected to just forget about it and move on. Well we are not going to do that; we haven’t forgotten, we will not forget. We are demanding change. This was an opportunity to redeem themselves but the media deliberately shunned the man that got the team through to the next round. Not putting Saka on the front of newspapers today, only reinforces that the media is institutionally racist and deliberately avoids giving black players the credit and recognition that they deserve.
Saka worked hard in yesterday's quarter-final. Man of the Match; scoring both the equaliser goal and a penalty kick, with the latter probably causing him to have symptoms of PTSD - even if momentarily - because my own breathing was irregular until his penalty hit the back of the net. He should have been on the cover of every tabloid today, especially those that were quick to attack him after his short time on the pitch, against Iceland last month. I hope he feels the love away from the media and is mentally strong enough to cope with the way he is being treated by them. If this doesn't shout discrimination, it is because people are choosing to play ignorant.
Racism will probably always exist, just like all other crimes, because that is the way of the world in which we live. That doesn't mean we have to accept it. Do we accept rape and murder, just because it’s the way of the world? Of course not. We seek justice. Racism is a hate crime but yet still, journalists and the institutions they work for, perpetuate hate crimes on a regular basis without facing any repercussions.
Do not let England's victory yesterday, and the media's positive reporting of the black players, on their inside pages, allow you to believe that all is well. Things would've been very different if the match had ended differently yesterday, and there will be a repeat of last month's attack, whether it is against Saka or another black player, this week or further down the line, it will happen again. This behaviour will continue to go unpunished unless our new government steps in and designs laws, specifically for journalists and media outlets. Boycotting the racist tabloids is a start, but it's not enough.
Please keep sharing. We hit 34,800 this morning. A massive thank you, to you all. An extra special thank you to those whom have shared and promoted this petition too. I appreciate and enjoy reading your reasons for signing. Please ask your family, colleagues and friends to sign too, and continue to share this petition.
Thank you also, to those of you that have signed my second petition. Much appreciated. The link to that petition and the related fundraiser is below. I think I would've had a breakdown if I wasn't so invested in this little piece of activism; I'm still having nightmares about being trapped in my wheelchair, whilst my home burned around me, until I was able to crawl to safety.
I hope football is really coming home. Now that the Tories are out, there's a glimmer of hope for the working class, and winning the Euros, would be a lovely way to start a new chapter in England as we sit and wait to see if Labour can make Britain great, again.
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Thanks again for your ongoing support. It means everything to me right now and I reckon Saka and other black athletes, appreciate what we're doing on their behalf.
Good luck to the lads for Wednesday's semi-final 🏴
Julie 🫶🏾