James McClean plays for Stoke City, and has chosen not to wear a poppy.
In a home game against Middlesborough on Saturday he was the subject of verbal abuse from visiting fans, and some home fans, for his choice. McClean’s response was to use a quotation from Bobby Sands:
“They have nothing in their whole imperial arsenal that can break the spirit of one Irishman who doesn’t want to be broken.”
Bobby Sands MP was a member of the Provisional IRA who was elected to parliament while in prison by the voters of Fermanagh and South Tyrone, as a gesture of their support for his opposition to British imperialism. He died on hunger strike in the Maze prison.
McClean grew upon the Creggan estate. Six of the people ruthlessly massacred by the SAS on Bloody Sunday were from his estate. For those of you too young to remember, on Bloody Sunday (30 January 1972) British troops from the Parachute regiment demonstrated their loyalty to British imperialism and their military courage by shooting 28 unarmed civilians, half of whom died from their wounds. Some of the civilians were shot in the back. Some were shot when they went to the aid of others who had been shot.
For the general public McClean had a simple message: “I know many people won’t agree with my decision or even attempt to gain an understanding of why I don’t wear a poppy. I accept that but I would ask people to be respectful of the choice I have made, just as I am respectful of people who do choose to wear a poppy.”
For the ‘uneducated cavemen’ his message was more direct: “To the uneducated cavemen in the left-hand corner of the Booten End stand that want to sing their anti-Irish song each game and call me a Fenian this and that… I am a PROUD FENIAN and no c@#t will ever change that, so sing away.”