Room Full of Mirrors

Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.

-- Confucius

Yesterday, the women's teams for Clapton Community & Dulwich Hamlet Football Clubs were to play in the London & South East Regional Women's League trophy final. Hundreds of supporters from both teams traveled to Maidstone to attend the match, hosted at Gallagher Stadium (owned by Maidstone United FC). Clapton - a club whose home ground was the first in the UK to be recognized as an apartheid free zone - continued their long-standing tradition of showing support for the Palestinian people by flying Palestinian flags from the stands. Dulwich Hamlet supporters matched the effort with an enormous banner reading SHOW GENOCIDE THE RED CARD. This wasn't just a trophy final. It wasn't just the last match of the season for both teams. It was the last chance for trans women on both sides to play football, after the Football Association's transphobic ban against trans athletes, which takes effect on June 1st. The match was going along smoothly and Clapton was up 2-0 when, 20 minutes in, something unprecedented happened. In the words of the Clapton players: “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 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, a league official walked on to the field of play to stop the game. In a discussion with the match officials, players and coaches, he 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 fans 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." With that, the Clapton players climbed into the scaffolds to join the supporters, soon followed by Dulwich Hamlet supporters who brought their banner over. Both teams & supporters united in defiance of the attempt to silence their support for the Palestinian people and their opposition to genocide. The Football Association - that same body that banned women from playing football for fifty years and has now banned trans athletes from playing football effective June 1st - have declared the Cup void and will not award it to either team nor schedule a rematch. They have also threatened both Dulwich Hamlets and Clapton Community FCs with discipline. In the words of Dulwich supporters Pepper Army: "Sport has long played an important role in putting pressure on governments perpetuating human rights abuse - 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 drum beat of defiance that is slowly convincing the world it cannot ignore the daily murders perpetuated by the state of Israel. We are proud of the behavior of Dulwich Hamlet fans today and we are equally proud to join hands with the fans of Clapton CCFC, who have already done so much to shine a spotlight on the plight of the past on the Palestinian people. History will judge us. Let us all be able to say we're on the right side."

Trumpeter, bandleader, and composer Miles Davis (Born: May 26, 1926)

Bouzov Castle, Bouzov, Olomouc Region, Czech Republic,