'Show genocide the red card!' - Dulwich Hamlet & Clapton women's match abandoned over Palestine banners

A women's football final involving Dulwich Hamlet and Clapton football clubs was abandoned yesterday after officials objected to fans of both teams displaying pro-Palestinian flags and banners. As part of the fifth tier of women's football in England, the London and South East Women's Regional Football League rarely features in the news, but this week's League Trophy Final held at Maidstone United's ground looks set to get international attention.

Clapton CFC Women's First Team were 2-0 up against Dulwich Hamlet Reserves after about 20 minutes. A statement from Clapton explains what happened next:

'Today’s L&SERWFL Trophy final between Clapton CFC Women’s First Team and Dulwich Hamlet Reserves at Maidstone United’s Gallagher Stadium was abandoned with Clapton leading 2-0.

We were told the management at the venue objected to the presence of a Palestine flag among Clapton’s support and an anti-genocide banner among the Dulwich Hamlet support. Both sets of supporters indicated they did not wish to remove the flag/banner and the venue and league and match officials decided the game could not continue. There was an offer to play the game to a conclusion behind closed doors but our players felt that football without fans is nothing. Clapton CFC is a members-owned, members-run football club.

A statement on behalf of the team said: “Today, 32 women were denied the opportunity to play the L&SERWFL Trophy final. About 20 minutes into the match, both Clapton and Dulwich supporters were approached by a representative of Maidstone United, Gallagher Stadium owners. He demanded that our supporters must stop waving the Palestinian flag, and the Dulwich supporters must take down their banner which read 'Show genocide the red card'. After both groups of supporters refused, he called the officials together and communicated that we could not use the ground while both the Palestinian flag and the banner were displayed.

Our given options were to 1) play the game behind closed doors or 2) to abandon the game. Clapton’s players chose to abandon the game. Both sets of fans then came together in solidarity with the Palestinian people, singing more songs and holding up our banners in support of trans women and the Palestine people, respectively. Our players and supporters are united in their support and concern for Palestinians who are being bombed daily. Showing that support with a flag or banner is no reason to abandon a cup final.”

The L&SERWFL have said the cup final is void and will not be replayed or awarded to either finalist. Both clubs will also now face an FA disciplinary process'.

There has also been a statement from Independent Dulwich Hamlet FC Fan Group  'The Pepper Army':

'Today's L&SERWFL Trophy final between Dulwich Hamlet women Reserves and Clapton CFC Women was abandoned with Clapton winning 2-0 after fans from both clubs refused to remove Palestine flags and a banner reading "Show Genocide The Red Card". 

We want to unequivocally state our support for the fans of both clubs who refused to bend to the demands of final hosts Maidstone United FC, and every player who refused  to play if the flags and banners were removed. 

The facts in Gaza are clear and widely accepted: the death toll in Gaza since October 2023 is estimated to be over 54,000; a united Nations Special Committee and Amnesty International have both concluded that the state of Israel is perpetuating a genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza; this week the UK government issued a joint statement with the leaders of France and Canada calling on the Israeli Government to stop its military operations in Gaza. 

Sport has long played an important role in putting pressure on governments perpetrating human rights abuses, from South Africa during the apartheid era to Russia since its invasion of Ukraine. Those who argue that political protest does not belong in sport are either ignorant or are deliberately ignoring that history. 

This is particularly true in the women's game — access to the game has always been political, and even now, women continue to fight for the right to play football.  We don't protest at our games because we think one protest in a regional football competition will change what is happening in Gaza. But we do it knowing that every  protest joins a drumbeat of defiance that is slowly convincing the world it cannot ignore the daily murders perpetuated by the state of Israel.  We are, for the avoidance of any doubt, against genocide, against anti-Semitism, against Islamophobia, and against prejudice in all its forms. 

We are proud of the behaviour of Dulwich Hamlet fans today, and we are equally proud  to join hands with the fans of Clapton CFC, who have already done so much to shine a spotlight on the plight of the Palestinian people. History will judge us. Let us all be able to say we were on the right side.'

It seems likely that there will be some FA disciplinary hearing. While people in Gaza face starvation and daily bombing raids from Israel those who dare to speak up against it, and the British government's complicity, increasingly face official sanctions and in some cases criminalisation.

Fans from both clubs at the match (from Tim Harrison on twitter). The 'Free the Filton 18' banner refers to Palestine Action activists in prison for alleged involvement in an action against an Israeli weapons factory near Bristol.

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photo from Artist Taxi Driver @chunkymark 

Who remembers the World Cup 2018?

Was it really only a month ago that the pubs of New Cross (and indeed of the whole country) were filled with excited crowds cheering on England in the World Cup? It seems like another age in another country now, and faded away so so very quickly, but there were some moments of collective joy along the way weren't there? So just to remind you here's a few photos from those heady July days.

Skehans, Kitto Road, SE14 - after England beat Colombia on penalties people poured out on to the street, singing 'football's coming home' and cheering as passing cars tooted their horns:

 Inside a packed Skehans for the England (2) Sweden (0) game. Standing room only and the most luv'd up atmosphere I have experienced outside of a rave (E for England?). Random strangers hugging each other and sharing round drinks (getting to the bar was difficult) like it was Club UK 1995. And exploding when England scored with beer going everywhere. There were a few Sweden fans in there too, yes including viking hat, but that was all part of the fun and there was no hassle.

It all began to go quiet during the Semi-Final against Croatia. I was in the White Hart when England scored which was pretty joyous, but things soon sobered up. The picture below is from The Montague Arms as time ran out for England. Nobody singing now...



I'm not totally sold on Billy Bragg's 'progressive patriot' notion of Englishness, but one thing that was clear was that the feeling in the pubs during those weeks was a million miles away from the racist, macho hatefulness of the post-English Defence League/Tommy Robinson crew.  Like the England team itself, the crowds were diverse, inclusive and good natured. How it would have turned out if England had won the World Cup... who knows?

1970s football and factories - Charlton, Millwall and Palace

Found recently at Deptford market, three football programmes from three South London teams - Crystal Palace, Millwall, and Charlton (guess they must have been from a Chartlon fan, as the Palace and Millwall programmes are from matches against the Addicks). As well as a window on 1970s football adverts in programmes recall an age of mass employment in  London factories

Chartlon v Oxford United 1975 - this was a League Cup match that ended in a 3-3 draw.

Stone Manganese Marine Ltd - 'the world's largest marine propeller builders' based in Charlton advertising for staff in the CAFC programme. The propellor factory later moved to Birkenhead (it closed there in 1998), though the related Stone Foundries is still going.

Millwall v Charlon, September 1977 - a 1-1 draw in Division Two

Millwall sponsors 1977 - mostly small business by the look of it, wonder how many of these are still going. I can see the Duke of Albany, Monson Road in there - New Cross pub now flats. Parke Record Distributors, based in Bromley, went bust in 1981.



Palace v Charlton in Octobe 1977 - 1-1 in Divison Two

'Congratulations on reaching the second division from a first division company'. Philips advertises for staff at its Croydon factory, where it made TVs.  The company moved its electronic HQ from Croydon to Guildford in 2004.

International football stickers on South London streets

Some football stickers spotted on my rounds today, mostly in vicinity of Millwall FC. Every sticker tells a story...

'No one likes us we don't care' is well known as the Millwall cry, but what about Sham Army? The latter refers to followers of punk band Sham 69, also mentioned on sticker. The band took their name in the late 1970s though from a fragment of graffiti in Surrey referring to non-league Walton & Hersham FC. Never had them down as a Millwall band, though one later version of the band (without original singer Jimmy Pursey, fronted by Tim Scargill) did do a charity CD that rewrote Sham's 'Hersham Boys' as 'Millwall Boys' ('drink up your beers and make some noise'):

Millwall Sham Army sticker, Ilderton Road SE15

Getting into the world of international football fandom, this lamp post, also on Ilderton Road, has a sticker from Millwall FC's Italian Crew (Italian Lions' fans). Above it is a Spanish sticker which says 'Bukaneros presenta La Familia Podrida'. Bukaneros are the Ultras of Rayo Vallecano de Madrid. La Familia Podrida means the corrupt family, but the initials spell out LFP: Liga de Fútbol Profesional, the Spanish football league.

On another lamp post in same road  a Millwall on Tour sticker comes above one saying 'Ultras contro el racismo' (Ultras against racism), another Spanish slogan, think this may be another Bukaneros sticker, they are famously anti-racist.

Another club whose fans are associated with militant anti-fascism is Hamburg team St Pauli. This sticker from Queens Road SE15 is from St Pauli London fans.

Of course not all European ultras are on the left of the political spectrum. This sticker, spotted in Hyson Road SE15 says FC  DK with the letters gathered around a neo-nazi symbol. I believe this refers to Ukrainian team Dynamo Kiev, some of whose fans are on the extreme right. Last year the club were sanctioned after a racist attack during a game against Chelsea

See previously

Dulwich Hamlet stickers

Radical stickers in New Cross

Charlton protest - Give Our Club Back

Charlton fan Simon Pirani has sent us this report of the extraordinary scenes at Charlton Athletic yesterday:

“We are not your customers”, thousands of Charlton fans sang during today’s home game against Blackburn Rovers. They called for Roland Duchatelet, the chronically out-of-touch multi-millionaire who owns the club, to sell up. After the game, a couple of thousand fans (including me and my friends) demonstrated outside the club’s main entrance.

I’ll readily admit that if the club was owned by a half-competent multi-millionaire – e.g. one who didn’t continuously sack managers (in some cases because he made poor appointments in the first place) and make incompetent interventions in the transfer market – there would probably be no protests. But the point about the system whereby clubs are financially dependent on Rupert Murdoch’s TV money and owned by multi-millionaires is that you’re always in danger of getting one who is a fool, and (worse) doesn’t listen.

Charlton fans, who like almost all genuine football fans are incredibly loyal, have had it up to here … most of all because Duchatelet and his hapless side-kick Katrien Meire, the “chief executive” who has no actual decision-making power, treat them with contempt.

The club’s pathetic, small-minded attitude to the fans was summed up by the use of stewards to remove a banner stating “we want our Charlton back” – a pretty mild slogan by football standards – from the North Stand today.

When poor strategy decisions earlier this season provoked protests, Meire was daft enough to dismiss them as the work of “2%” of the fans. Subsequent displays in the stadium showed that the figure was more like 50%. The black-and-white scarves adopted as a symbol of protest were much more visible than the usual red-and-white ones at today’s game. 

It was also Meire who made the elementary, and fatal, mistake of calling the fans “customers”. (Most cynical, business-minded football bosses think of fans that way but are smart enough not to say so out loud.) Anyway, that was good, because it’s a reminder of what it’s all about. 

I do think the campaign against Duchatelet is a bit reactive, rather than pro-active. And of course Charlton’s horrendous record on the pitch doesn’t help. (Today’s 1-1 draw left us second from bottom, so it just wasn’t good enough, but it was better than the two previous results, losses by 5-0 and 6-0.) What’s more, I would like to see more of a long-term strategy, at Charlton and all clubs, focused on raising the level of fan-based ownership systems that are common in Spain and Germany.

But let’s start somewhere. This is all about a part of working class culture being enclosed, bought and sold by profiteers. Let’s resist. We are not customers'.

picture from Jimmy Stone on twitter

Fascist mob attacks Clapton fans in Thamesmead

A pre-season non-League football friendly might seem an unlikely setting for violence, but that was what occurred last night at Thamesmead Town's ground in Bayliss Avenue SE28, where the home team were hosting a visit from Clapton FC. Clapton supporters were attacked with bottles and other missiles, and the game was abandoned.

But it seems that this was not a clash between rival football fans - instead it appears that a group of far right thugs attended specifically to attack Clapton fans known for their anti-fascism. According to Clapton Ultras:

'Last night our club Clapton FC were playing our last pre season friendly away against Thamesmead in South East London. In the last few days, we received threatening messages from a fascist group regarding this fixture. This information was passed on to the football club and its fans who decided to travel as one group to the game as fan safety is the number one priority.

As we arrived at the game around 15 minutes after kick off and began to enter, Clapton fans were immediately attacked with weapons and missiles by a large group already present inside the ground, who threw glasses, bottles, bricks, signs and a fire extinguisher at Clapton fans, the vast majority of which had not been able to even enter the ground. In addition to causing minor injury the missiles damaged several parked cars in the car park outside the ground. Thankfully no one was seriously injured.

Clapton fans have no history or rivalry with Thamesmead fans and this attack was not made by Thamesmead fans. The attackers sang racist chants as they pelted Clapton fans with missiles. This was a planned attack, orchestrated by fascists and their allies as a politically motivated assault on Clapton fans for our politics of anti-sexism, anti-homophobia, anti-racism and anti-fascism. Their interest was never in the football and they only attended the game in order to attack us.

We are calling on all supporters of Clapton and all those who stand against fascism to join us this season and celebrate football for all. Specifically, those unable to oppose the fascist White Man March in Liverpool would be welcomed at our home game on Saturday 15th August in the FA Cup against Stanway Rovers

In strength,

Clapton Ultras – Scaffold Brigada'

Dulwich Hamlet banner remembers 1940s Jewish anti-fascist 43 Group

Rather like Dulwich Hamlet FC, Clapton have a radical crew of supporters for whom opposing fascism is part of their identity. Clapton have had several run-ins with fascists previously, including in Southend last year. There is no suggestion of any link between the attackers and Thamesmead Town FC and its supporters. But it is sickening to hear of racists chanting 'we hate n*ggers' last night, just down the road from where Rolan Adams was murdered in a racist attack in the 1990s.

'Partisanship' & 'Unsportsmanlike action' - Dulwich Hamlet supporters, 1903

With their stickers, radical fan contingent and even Transpontine banner, Dulwich Hamlet's supporters have been getting quite a reputation - featured recently in the Independent as the Rabble vanguard of the rise in non-league football support: 'Far, far away from the £2,000 season tickets, the officious stewarding, and the airline-stadium sponsorship of the Premier League, a football revolution is underway.In this otherworld, supporters can buy a craft ale and drink it standing behind the goal. Here is a place where crowd segregation is unnecessary and where fans, quite of their own volition, take up banners calling for an end to racism and homophobia in football and display them from the stadium walls'

More than a hundred years ago, the team's supporters already had a fearsome reputation, judging by this article in the South London Press, 7 February 1903:

'Perhaps without unduly prolonging an unsavoury subject, I may be permiited to quote from one letter sent me this week from a Hamlet supporter, judging by the gist of his remarks. He writes:  "... I have only watched them (Dulwich Hamlet) a few times this season, my chief reason for absenting myself being their strong weakness for fouling and the unsportsmanlike action of their supporters. The latter show far too much partisanship, and rarely give the opponents the slightest credit for good work. This kind of thing does the club concerned a lot of harm. Once get a strong and determined referee who will not put up with the insulting remarks made to him so often on this ground, but report the matter, and the ground will be closed... The Dulwich Hamlet are undoubtedly a fine team, but their reputation is likely to be tarnished unless the players mend their ways and the spectators behave like English sportsmen".

I believe the behaviour of certain sections of the Champion Hill crowd has already engaged the serious attention of the club committee... A few summary ejectments by the police and severe measures by the referees would quickly kill this pest that often brings humiliation and disgrace to a club morally, but not legally, to blame in this matter'.

The World Cup in South London

As the World Cup comes to an end, here's some pictures from around South London over the last month.

The Artmongers mural on Deptford High Street redecorated in Argentinian and German colours for today's final,
by artist Patricio Forrester, who is Argentinian 

Watching the world cup at Tomi's restaurant in Deptford High Street, on night Nigeria played Iran
(photo posted by DJ Tim Westwood on Instagram)

Brazilian and Colombian flags at Restaurante Santafereno in Brixton

Brazil fans at the Coronet at Elephant and Castle
(photo by James Doleman on twitter)

Colombian fans celebrate at the Elephant and Castle after their team beat Uruguay
(photo by Instailka)

England flag at 2 Sisters Tandoori in Nunhead

French flag in Kitto Road SE14

German flag on New Cross Road

England and Italian flags in Brockley Grove

Ghana fans at the Castle Tavern in Woolwich
(see 853's report on this)

Ian Wright remembers growing up on Honor Oak Estate

'Ian Wright: Nothing to Something' is a great documentary where the former Crystal Palace, Arsenal and England footballer talks about growing up in South East London. It's quite a moving film, with Wright just talking to camera about a rough and abusive childhood, rejection by football clubs as a youth player, before finally being signed by Crystal Palace as a 21 year old.

In the programme Wright says he grew up in 'Brockley and Crofton Park', specifically for much of his childhood on Honor Oak Estate. He recalls going on the Honor Oak Estate annual summer trip to the seaside, and going shopping for clothes in Peckham (looking enviously in Grants' shop window at shoes he couldn't afford). On the Estate he used to play football with David Rocastle, later his colleague at Arsenal (Wright gets very emotional over Rocastle's sad early death)

Ian Wright meets his old Primary School teacher Syd Pigden

He credits one of his primary school teachers, Mr Pigden, as having a major influence on his life as a positive male figure and a football mentor. In this programme the school isn't named, but Syd Pigden was at Turnham Primary School where Wright moved after starting out at Gordonbrock Primary. Many years later at Arsenal, Mr Pigden and Wright were reunited in another TV programme - with Wright surprized and overwhelmed at finding he was still alive

Later Wright went to Samuel Pepys Secondary School in Sprules/Wallbutton Road SE4 - now Christ the King VI Form. After leaving school, he worked at Tunnel Refineries in Greenwich before being discovered by Palace.

According to 'The Wright Stuff' by Rick Glanvill, (1995) Ian Wright was born in 1963 in the British Hospital, Samuel Street, Woolwich. His cousin Patrick Robinson was born a few days later: 'It probably never crossed the minds of the two proud mothers that the fruits of their wombs would, between them, eventually have Saturday night television stitched up: Ian Wright gracing the pastures of Match of the Day and Patrick Robinson providing the amiable beside manner as Martin 'Ash; Ashford in the popular BBC soap, Casualty'. They lived together for a while in Manor Avenue, Forest Hill

You can watch the programme for another few weeks at ITV. I saw Wright a couple of years ago in Stillness Road, think he still has some family in the area. His sons Shaun and Bradley Wright-Phillips - both also footballers - went to Haberdashers Askes school in New Cross.

Stand! for Football at the Amersham Arms (with Terry Hall DJing)

(update: 26 October - apparently this event has been cancelled)

STAND! is a football fanzine that speaks out against the corporate excesses of modern football. Next Saturday 26 October they are having a night of beer, music and football at the Amersham Arms in New Cross. 

It starts out with a panel discussion on 'what we can do to take back our beloved game' followed by a night of 'classic old skool indie, house and ska' with a DJ set from the great Terry Hall (Specials/Fun Boy Three), as well as Big Beat Boutique, D'Arcy and One Man Melt. Advance tickets (£10) available here.

Dulwich Hamlet FC - Transpontine Team

I have enough troubles of my own supporting a non-league club (one time old First Division) who are not from South London, without taking up the cause of Dulwich Hamlet FC. Still I notice with interest some of the banners that have been adorning their ground in recent times.

There's a Pride of South London banner...

...a banner that combines the emblems of Dulwich Hamlet with Altona 93- the Hamburg  team which some DHFC fans have linked up with (kind of non-league St Pauli):

(this photo and one above from Urban 75)

 ... and a Transpontine banner! Somebody asked if I had a hand in this, but I didn't. I suspect the artist sometimes known as Wolfgang Moneypenny/@vornstyle may have had a role. A source close to the Moneypenny camp told us: '"There are few performances as lurid and melodramatic as those found at a non-league football match". Anyway I know that he is somebody else who has embraced the use of the word Transpontine. So while I can't claim the credit, I like to think this site has helped to reintroduce the word into the local parlance as a synonym for South Londonish.

Bubble Matches: the policing of football fans at Millwall and elsewhere

Hot off the press - OK the report has been out nearly a year but I've just noticed it  - Criminalising Football Fans: The Case Against ‘Bubble’ Matches by Peter Lloyd for the Manifesto Club:


'‘Bubble’ match travel amounts to ‘kettling’ on wheels. Travelling fans must be transported on licensed coaches  under police escort, from a designated pick-up point to a designated drop-off point. No independent travel is allowed to the match by car, train, or any other means of transport. Fans often must pick up their tickets on route, for example at a motorway service station at a halfway point. Their freedom of movement is suspended...

...is it fair that the vast majority of supporters, who behave well, should have their freedom to travel to a popular leisure activity curtailed, because of the (increasingly slight) risk that there will be disorder caused by a small number of troublemakers? Bubble match restrictions do not target the minority of troublemakers. Instead, they punish all away fans, and hope to deter the violent minority by doing so. This is surely wrong in principle. Under Britain’s common law, people are treated as innocent until proven guilty, not the other way around. People are held to account for their own actions, not punished for the actions of others'.

Examples in the report show that fans travelling to Millwall have been targeted, as well as Millwall fans travelling to away matches:

'For the Millwall match at Leeds on 3 December 2011, coaches had to leave the football ground in London at 5.30am, meeting the police at Woolley Edge Services on the M1 motorway, where pre-paid vouchers were exchanged for match tickets. This was the only place where it was possible to acquire a match ticket, the early kick-off time of 12.30pm added inconvenience for the supporters...'

These tactics make it impossible to do the normal things that people would do when travelling round the country. For instance, what if you were a Millwall fan who wanted to combine going to a Leeds away match with popping in afterwards to see an old friend in Yorkshire? Or if you were a Millwall fan at college in Leeds the only way you could go in the Millwall end at a match would be to travel down to London the night before and then get a 5:30 coach back up.

When police kettle demonstrators my twitter feed is (quite rightly) overwhelmed with outrage. When similar police tactics are applied regularly to thousands of football fans, nobody bats an eyelid. To add insult to injury, football fans are paying for the policing of football grounds through ticket prices - and if the Association of Chief Police Officers had their way they would also be paying for policing of football fans beyond the ground. At Millwall's match at Luton on Saturday I noticed that even Luton fans, no great friends of Millwall's away contingent, chanted 'What a waste of money' when large numbers of police came on to the pitch at the end. They're right and it's their money that's being wasted.

(incidentally this is blowing up to be a big issue right now with Hull City fans facing a 'bubble' for their match next month against Huddersfield - this article quotes one Hull fan: "I live in Huddersfield, so have to come to Hull to go back to a game 10 minutes from my house. Ridiculous!")