Flying banner firm is told not to repeat ‘racist’ stunt
burnley supporter behind stunt refuses to apologise police say ‘no criminal offences have been disclosed’
The advertising company involved with the flying of the “White Lives Matter” banner before the start of Monday night’s match between Burnley and Manchester City has been warned against repeating the stunt. The protest, which was organised by a Burnley fan, has been called racist and abhorrent by the club, players and supporters.
The flight advertising company behind the “white lives matter Burnley” banner above the Etihad Stadium was grounded last night amid fears of copycat attempts to undermine Premier League support for the global movement against racism.
Air Ads Ltd, a Blackpool-based firm, has been involved in a series of previous slogans in the skies above football grounds.
Burnley supporter Jake Hepple, who has previously posted pictures with far-right extremist Tommy Robinson, took responsibility for commissioning the protest, which was branded racist and abhorrent by the club, players and fans. “I’d like to take this time to apologise… to absolutely f------ nobody,” Hepple wrote on his Facebook page.
Lancashire Police said last night that “no criminal offences have been disclosed at this time”. Earlier the police said they recognised “that this banner will have caused offence to many people in Lancashire and beyond”.
Videos posted on social media suggest Hepple travelled to Manchester to live-stream the fly-past, which took place moments after Manchester City and Burnley players had taken the knee in support of Black Lives Matter. Intelligence was received by the club shortly before kick-off that the protest was due to take place, but police were powerless by that stage to stop it.
Friends of Hepple described their shock last night and denied claims from anti-fascist campaigners that he was a member of the Suicide Squad, the Burnley hooligan firm. Mike Garlick, Burnley’s chairman, and Neil Hart, the chief executive, said last night that anyone involved would receive a lifetime ban for inciting racial hatred.
The Daily Telegraph understands air traffic controllers were first to alert the police after being shocked by the message as the plane took off. Staff at Blackpool Airport yesterday condemned the slogan.
Air Ads Ltd has been involved in
other high-profile stunts, including promoting “Vote Brexit Party” and taking slogans opposing the Glazers and Ed Woodward to Manchester United’s Old Trafford ground.
A Blackpool Council spokesman confirmed the airport had “contacted all tenants to notify them of the immediate ban on banner towing”. A board meeting between the local authority and the airport today could lead to Air Ads’ tenancy being removed altogether.
“Blackpool Airport and Blackpool Council are outraged by this incident,” said Stephen Smith, the airport manager. “We stand against racism of any kind and do not condone the activity. The decision to fly the banner was taken entirely by the banner-flying company without the knowledge or approval of the airport or Blackpool Council.”
The council confirmed the Civil Aviation Authority had been notified, but last night, after reviewing the incident, Lancashire Police confirmed no crime had been committed. Chief Superintendent Russ Procter said: “After assessing all the information ... we have concluded that there are no criminal offences that have been disclosed at this time. We will continue to work with our partners at the football club and within the local authority.”
Bob Stinger, one of the pilots associated with Air Ads, responded “no” when asked by The Telegraph whether he was at the controls. He declined to comment further, and the company failed to respond to requests for comment.
Hepple also went to ground in Burnley yesterday after initially bragging about his exploits. “It’s now apparently racist to say white lives matter, the day after three white people got murdered in a park in Reading, but all we’ve seen on the TV is Black Lives Matter after George Floyd got murdered,” he added in his Facebook post.
Nick Lowles, of the Hope Not Hate campaign group, said the stunt was carried out by “prominent members of the Burnley Suicide Squad, the club’s hooligan gang”. He added: “It’s time attention was shone on these racists.”
It is not known if the Suicide Squad had any direct role in the stunt, and staff at the Angel Inn, a Burnley fan pub with crosses of St George on its wall, last night told
The Telegraph that Hepple was “so nice, so pleasant”, as they denied he was a member of the firm. Mark Davies, the landlord, added: “I know him from football. I don’t know him personally. Young, quiet, we’ve never had one bit of trouble off him. He doesn’t come in much.”
Ben Mee, the Burnley captain, said he was “ashamed and embarrassed” by the banner, while Raheem Sterling tweeted that it was “time for change”.
Fare, which works in football equality, said the act embodied the recent “racist backlash” against the Black Lives Matter movement.
Kick It Out, English football’s anti-racism charity, said the banner represented a misunderstanding of the BLM initiative.