A Manchester activist has issued a powerful call to action for football fans concerned about their club's connections to human rights abuses, arguing that supporter voices remain crucial in combating sportswashing.
The Manchester-Sudan Connection
Kathryn Fletcher, a medicolegal report writer at Freedom from Torture, has expressed anger and shame at Manchester's commercial links with the United Arab Emirates following Barney Ronay's Guardian article highlighting the connection between Manchester City's owners and atrocities in Sudan.
The UAE has been reported as funding the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the militia group accused of committing war crimes in Darfur. Fletcher, who has directly witnessed the impact of the Janjaweed militia that evolved into the RSF, describes the situation as particularly urgent for Manchester residents.
Campaigning Against the Silence
Local activism groups have faced significant challenges in raising awareness about these issues. Manchester Amnesty group has campaigned for over ten years for the release of Emirati human rights activists Ahmed Mansoor and Mohammed al-Roken, encountering what Fletcher describes as a wall of silence from Manchester City Council.
The campaign has now evolved to support Manchester4Sudan, a group of Sudanese diaspora members asking critical questions about the relationship between their city and the UAE amid escalating violence in Sudan.
How Fans Can Make a Difference
Addressing Ronay's question about fan complicity through lack of protest, Fletcher acknowledges the difficulty of the situation but insists that abandoning support for the club isn't necessary. She argues that fans maintain more power as supporters than as former supporters.
Fletcher points to Newcastle United fans as pioneers in this space, noting that they established NUFC Fans Against Sportswashing to campaign for human rights in Saudi Arabia.
She suggests several practical ways for concerned Manchester City supporters to take action while maintaining their allegiance to the team. These include joining local Amnesty groups, donating to established human rights organizations like Human Rights Watch, and most effectively, directly supporting the Manchester4Sudan campaign.
The message to football fans is clear: your voice matters, and there are multiple pathways to protest human rights abuses without sacrificing your passion for the beautiful game.
