Tottenham’s LGBTQ+ supporters’ group is planning to protest against Newcastle’s Saudi Arabian owners ahead of the clubs’ Premier League fixture today, according to the Evening Standard.
The Magpies were taken over by a Saudi-led consortium in October, headed by the Public Investment Fund. However, the takeover received backlash amid concerns over the country’s human rights record, where same-sex relationships are illegal (BBC News).
Saudi Arabia also came under heavy scrutiny for its execution of 81 men in one day for holding ‘deviant beliefs’ last month, according to Al Jazeera.
And the country’s recent act has caused Proud Lilywhites, Tottenham’s leading LGBTQ+ group, to take a stand against Newcastle’s owners ahead of their match this weekend, by releasing 81 balloons in remembrance of the executed men.
A spokesperson for the group said, via the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust: “In advance of Spurs v Newcastle on Sunday 3 April, members of Proud Lilywhites and THST will be on Tottenham High Road to highlight the Saudi state’s ownership of Newcastle United.
“Football Clubs are important cultural and heritage assets and their use as shields for regimes that murder their citizens, jail their LGBTQ+ community and cause atrocities (as in Yemen) is something we want to keep a focus on, so this is never allowed to happen again.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Newcastle’s takeover has sparked a lot of controversy, particularly because of Saudi Arabia’s very spotty history of human rights.
Those protesting want to get their views heard and concerns across and they will continue to do that until they see a meaningful change start to happen.
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