Before the kickoff of the game between the English football Champions Manchester City against Burnley FC, the players of both teams knelt on the center circle – to demonstrate their support in the fight against racism. After that, the Pilot of a small aircraft, commented on the gesture in an impossible way: His plane with a Banner pulled with the racist inscription of the “White Lives Matter – Burnley” (“White lives count – Burnley”) on the Etihad stadium.
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“Holy shit, an absolute disgrace,” tweeted the British Journalist Sam Lee taking a photo of the banner. Other Twitter users commented on how much they were ashamed for the action. According to English media, the plane flew the Banner directly to the expression of Solidarity over the stadium.
Distancing from Burnley
Burnley condemned even during the game, the action explicitly. “We want to make it clear that these people are welcome. This is in no way what the Burnley Football Club, and we will work closely with the authorities to identify those responsible and to adopt long bans,” said the Association in a statement. “I’m ashamed and I’m embarrassed,” he said after the game, Burnleys Ben Mee.
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Burnley stand fully behind the “Black Lives Matter”Initiative of the Premier League: “We apologise unreservedly for the Premier League, with Manchester City and to all who contribute to the promotion of Black Lives Matter.” The Slogan “Black Lives Matter” (“Black lives count”) is also on the jerseys of all the Premier League Teams, and replaced the game name.
Since the violent death of black US-American George Floyd to police violence, hundreds of thousands of people against racism protest in the world. Anyone who has organized the plane and the Banner, was not immediately known.
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