Activism through sport
V STAND UP! Education Against Discrimination was launched in 2017 to provide anti-discrimination education, with a focus on antisemitism and anti-Muslim hate, to young people in mainstream schools. In its first four years, the interfaith project delivered sessions to over 35,000 students across the UK. Through interactive workshops and drawing on the unique knowledge of many partners in the hate crime field, Stand Up! seeks to empower young people to act against all forms of discrimination, racism, antisemitism and anti-Muslim hatred, while developing their sense of social responsibility to their local communities and British society as a whole.
With lockdown restrictions easing, sports fans are yearning to return to stadiums and pitches to resume an essential part of leisure, social interactions and enjoyment. A natural aspect of sport is the aggregating power and opportunity of bringing people together, even in the face of discrimination, through a shared goal.
Through my work with young people as part of the Stand Up! Education Against Discrimination project (a partnership between Maccabi GB and CST) and when addressing discrimination and racism, often I hear examples from students of personal experiences of verbal and physical abuse during grass roots football matches, which often go unnoticed and unreported.
Similarly, in professional football, players are being subjected to verbal abuse on the pitch as well as off the pitch, on social media targeting their identities. Just last month we had football clubs, players, athletes and antidiscrimination organisations take part in boycotting social media platforms, to challenge companies to tackle hate speech and racism online more efficiently, which received support from Maccabi GB and our partners Kick It Out.
Another powerful way of tackling discrimination through sports is representation. As a practising Muslim who observes Ramadan, I was delighted to see that earlier this month Premier League football clubs actively made provision during the match for Muslim players to break their fast midgame. With global audiences tuning in, this was a positive and high-profile example of inclusion. A further recent example of promoting inclusion also comes from the FA who release an annual Faith & Football calendar which highlights religious festivals across all faiths. In addition, the FA also recently adopted the IHRA definition of antisemitism, which provides clubs, players and fans with a framework which allows them to understand and address these issues directly.
Our parent organisation Maccabi GB for decades has used sports to engage and educate Jewish and non-Jewish participants. Currently it is working with the Faith and Belief Forum and Faith Council to create an Interfaith Run, due to take place in August 2021, which will bring different faith groups and communities together in a positive and fun environment. Tackling discrimination should always be a multifaceted approach, through educating, reporting and promoting community cohesion.
Stand Up! Education Against Discrimination is currently funded by the Mayor’s Office for Policing And Crime (MOPAC), the Betty Messenger Charitable Foundation, MHCLG and Facebook. It is supported by Tell MAMA and other organisations.