Keyboard warriors won’t stop me taking the knee
Livi captain says gesture helps educate public
that because nobody will listen to them.”
The English midfielder was vocal about Scottish players taking a knee in pre-season and is delighted that all the Premiership teams got involved.
He has been lobbying the Scottish Players’ Football Association to make sure that it was not just a one-off and for it to go on until October to allow the lower league clubs to get involved when their season begins.
Bartley says he is proud of everyone but singled out his team- mates at Livingston for wanting to get involved and d their th i eagerness t to l learn more on the subject.
He continued: “It is about education and it is great to see people opening up conversations and saying they have learned more about it.
“We made sure that here we weren’t just doing it for the sake of it and everyone is behind it. Fair play to the boys for educating themselves on it.
“I didn’t want them to just take the knee because the boys in England were taking the knee. It was also important to give people the option, people might want to show their respects in a different way.
“Every player was straight in there saying I am taking the knee. We hold such a high place in the community with kids growing up here and talking about it.
“One of the boys said their child said to them ‘Daddy, why did you take the knee?’ He he had never had that conversation with him because he had never had to but now he understands and it is about educating the future generations.
“Obviously racism is not going to be eradicated in a year but if things get better every year then that is all you can ask.”