The country’s largest regional Football Association is continuing to advertise its support for Black Lives Matter despite backing within the movement’s ranks for Hamas terrorists.
The website for the London FA features a section devoted to Black Lives Matter (BLM) which also quotes guidance from the national FA stating its own support for the movement.
First published in 2020 after the murder of George Floyd and the BLM protests that followed, the page has remained live despite the likes of the Premier League having distanced itself from the movement years ago over the latter’s controversial political views.
Just last week, Coca-Cola quietly removed references to its financial support for BLM from its official website after the group’s Chicago chapter sparked outrage with a now-deleted post on X showing a photo of a paraglider with the text: “I stand with Palestine.”
The national FA’s 2020-24 strategy that is available online also makes reference to the BLM movement.
The ongoing advertising of support for BLM within English football has emerged amid fury over the FA’s refusal to light the Wembley arch in the colours of Israel’s flag in solidarity with victims of the October 7 terrorist attacks.
Among those to condemn the FA was the Government and a Whitehall source was scathing on Tuesday about the London FA webpage remaining unaltered in light of recent events.
“When commercial sponsors are distancing themselves from BLM over its support for Hamas, this feels like an odd move,” said the source, who also accused the FA of having left “many in the Jewish community feeling like black lives matter but Jewish ones don’t”.
The chief executive of the FA admitted last week that its refusal to light the Wembley arch in the colours of the Israeli flag had “caused hurt in the Jewish community”.
But he defended the organisation’s response to the “acts of terror” by Hamas, which included paying tribute to all those to have lost their lives in the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
An FA spokesperson said: “We are fully committed to using our influence as a force for good to positively promote equality, diversity and inclusion across our game. In 2020, English football stood together in support of anti-racism and the anti-discrimination message at the heart of the Black Lives Matter movement.
“As an apolitical organisation, we have made it very clear that we do not endorse any political organisation, ideology or movement, nor do we support any group that calls for or condones violence or any illegal activity.”
