Timbers Army stages protest at Timbers-Sounders game in response to MLS ban on ‘Iron Front’ symbol, political displays.
The Timbers Army, the supporters’ group for the Portland Timbers, joined with fans of the Seattle Sounders to stage a protest Friday against a Major League Soccer policy that bans the use of political signs and displays at games.
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Among the specific signage that is barred by the league’s new fan code of conduct for being political is the “Iron Front” symbol, an emblem with three arrows pointing downward which was first used by an anti-Nazi paramilitary organization in Germany in the 1930s. MLS’s new fan code of conduct was introduced at the start of the 2019 season.
As George Takei would say: “Oh my”.
The Iron Front were the original Anti Fascist, formed in Germany 1931 and disbanded by the Nazis in 1933, thus the 33 minutes of silence.
Having been one of the original old Portland Timbers biggest fans back in the day, no chanting and cheering or booing is hard to imagine, but they pulled it off.
Also;
The Timbers and Sounders organizations reiterated their opposition to fascism by each creating custom pennants for Friday’s game that included the phrases “anti-fascist" and “anti-racist." Timbers captain Diego Valeri and Sounders captain Nicolás Lodeiro exchanged the pennants prior to Friday’s match. The starting lineups from both teams then posed for a photo together with the pennants.
Comments on all of these tweets and stories are of course filled with WATB complaining about sports and politics. Fuck ‘em.
The story behind the news
Carlos realized he had forgotten his gloves, and Norman suggested the American athletes share a pair. The Australian also asked how he could support his fellow medalists. They suggested he wear a badge for the Olympic Project for Human Rights. Norman didn’t raise his fist, but by wearing the badge he made his stance clear.
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Carlos and Smith were both gradually re-accepted into the Olympic fold, and went on to careers in professional football before retiring. Norman, meanwhile, was punished severely by the Australian sports establishment. Though he qualified for the Olympic team over and over again, posting the fastest times by far in Australia, he was snubbed by the team in 1972. Rather than allow Norman to compete, the Australians did not send a sprinter at all.