Sean: I will not stay silent any longer
In a Record Sport exclusive, Hearts star Clare reveals his agony over London march decision and his pride at making a stand
BY GORDON PARKS SEAN CLARE emerged from London lockdown to march in a Black Lives Matters rally for racial equality and smash social taboos.
The Hearts midfielder was part of a weekend protest in the English capital which had thousands taking to the streets to demonstrate as part of a movement against racial injustice which he wouldn’t have missed for the world.
As a mixed-race man whose upbringing has only served to strengthen his voice against inequality and bigotry, the Tynecastle star told Record Sport of his regret at remaining silent for too long on issues of discrimination and called for momentum for change to continue at pace.
The Jambos star’s decision to join the mass gathering in his home city galvanised his mission to speak the truth on an issue which is closest to his heart.
He said: “Racism has been taboo to talk about for a while but it shouldn’t be. I’ve felt it was taboo to talk about and never felt comfortable doing so even though I have always had strong views on racism.
“I regret that feeling as it’s just about looking after people and encouraging everyone to enjoy the same rights and the equality we all deserve.
“I see so many non-black people now coming out and saying they may never fully understand racism but they support us and stand with us.
“Even the Daily Record phoning me and allowing me to talk is in a small way standing with the movement.
“Just because you haven’t experienced racism doesn’t mean it’s right. If I can use my platform as a footballer to stimulate conversation then I will.”
Clare insists the march was always going to win over continuing to follow strict social distancing guidelines.
He said: “My motivation was to be part of the cause and everything the march stood for.
“It’s about enacting change and doing it the right way, not just about change for black people but for society as a whole and the world by trying to make things better for everyone. “It’s so important we try to change the world for future generations.
“Given the fact the virus is still a problem, I discussed going on the march with my mum and her partner who I’ve been isolating with. They were okay for me to go but I took all the precautions I could.” Clare, 23, previously spoke out against racism when Hibs star Marvin Bartley was subjected to appalling abuse after an Edinburgh derby. He believes the movement for change is gaining traction across the globe after the death of George Floyd in police custody in the US. He said: “There is a massive unity across all races and backgrounds. One of my driving forces is about the education side of the protests, which makes a huge difference. “So many people are researching things, watching, listening and having
these types of conversations and that’s had a massive impact. It’s the recipe for change.
“People can have stereotypes, microaggressions and things they say, think or do which they’ve been brought up with and don’t realise that it feeds into racism.
“But in this age of social media, the biggest crime is not to educate yourself, there’s so much information out there.
“In this time I’ve learned so much more about racism than in the rest of my life. I ask myself why I haven’t looked into it more. We all have to hold ourselves accountable as ignorance isn’t an excuse.
“If someone told me a year ago that they don’t see black then I’d have said it was a good thing.
“But not seeing colour is also a problem as you need to see the colour and know it doesn’t make a difference. We should celebrate the diversity, colour shouldn’t trigger a stereotype or a negative emotion.
“The unity we have, the amount of diversity and different ages, it was men, women and children who were marching as one. It was remarkable and that was only that one day when I joined the march.
“During the hours I marched there was only about six minutes of confrontation and violence. The media will show those six minutes and it could be misrepresented as a riot when it’s not.
“There have been two other marches in London and there have been numerous around the world with massive turnouts which is a huge signal that people are willing to change but this is a movement which we need to keep going. We need the momentum and to have more and more feeling comfortable to speak out.”
Clare also points the finger at himself at not being educated well enough on the subject of race as he insists the protest was a shot in the arm for everyone concerned with racial intolerance.
He said: “Everyone who marched and who watched it on television should have had a boost from it.
“Even though it’s a Black Lives Matter movement, it’s not a black fight. It’s not black versus white or Asian versus black.
“It’s about everyone against the racist systems which are in place within so much of society. It’s everyone against the racists and fascists.
“That’s why I believe this movement can benefit the world, not just one people.”
People are willing to change, we need to keep movement going
SEAN CLARE ON BLACK LIVES MATTER MOMENTUM