Yahoo News Premier League footballer applauds 'energy and passion' of Black Lives Matter protests
England and Aston Villa defender Tyrone Mings hailed the positivity of the Black Lives Matter movement as he attended a march in Birmingham on Thursday.
Mings tweeted three pictures of himself at the march, saying: “Nothing but energy & passion today. I make no apologies for standing up for what I believe in.”
On the face mask that he wore were the words “we won’t be silenced”.
The day before the march, Mings made his intentions clear, tweeting: “Don’t be afraid to speak your truth. Stand for what’s right. See you tomorrow. Stay safe.”
Nothing but energy & passion today.
I make no apologies for standing up for what I believe in. pic.twitter.com/QtnGKgIpfE— Tyrone Mings (@OfficialTM_3) June 4, 2020
Mings is a prominent voice among footballers, regularly speaking openly and directly on social issues.
When he was racially abused by opposing fans while making his debut for England against Bulgaria in 2019 he called the abuse “as clear as day”.
After the game he added: “I am proud of how we dealt with it and took the appropriate steps. I feel more sorry for those people who feel they have to have those opinions.”
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While last week, upon the announcement of the Premier League being resumed, he discussed the lack of input that players had had in the decision-making process.
He described the Premier League’s decision as ‘financially driven’, citing that players were simply ‘commodities in the game’.
Among the footballers, and athletes from other sports, speaking out against racism, Liam Rosenior wrote an open letter to Donald Trump in The Guardian on Friday.
In the letter, the former footballer and member of the Inclusion Advisory Board for the Football Association, thanked the US President for unintentionally “showing people the way forward.”
Rosenior called Trump a “wolf in wolf’s clothing” and said: “You are the reason why my daughters – who are US citizens – ask me: “Why does the president hate black people?”
He also thanked him for being a “catalyst for our future generations to impact lasting change not only to your corroding country but countries all over the world.”
