We must tackle far-right alliance head on

UNITE’S conference is expected to resolve today that our union will campaign to encourage all football fans and supporters’ clubs to take a stand against the Football Lads Alliance.

The Premier League has warned clubs about the FLA using fans and stadiums to push their message. And we are determined to expose its racist core, and that of the other far-right groups.

At a time of the longest pay squeeze for decades, and our NHS stretched to breaking point, they are diverting working-class anger from real issues by twisting people’s pride in their country.

They spread hatred and division at a time we should be united behind our England team which embodies our diverse and talented youth, proving there’s no room for racism in our beautiful game, or in our communities.

The FLA was set up in 2017 after the London bombings and uses Islamophobia to stir up fear and racism.

Thousands of its activists, and those from UKIP, For Britain and others, marched in London recently and will again in Leeds on Saturday. They claim to love our country, but have no respect for it. They attacked police and hurled abuse at soldiers of the Royal Horse Artillery in Whitehall. Marchers even “sieg heiled” at the Cenotaph. Through Show Racism the Red Card, I’ve worked with players to keep bigotry away from our kids. It started in the 1990s to combat hate merchants infecting our grounds since the 70s. We cannot go back to those days. The trade union movement needs to tackle this head on. I call on all members to become part of the opposition to the rise of this new far-right street movement. Let not the peddlers of prejudice win.