Laziali and "No Racism" Campaign

Laziali and “No Racism” Campaign

by Galuh Trianingsih Lazuardi

from fotolia

Are Lazio fans racists? I would answer, yes, there is a part of Laziali that is racist, maybe not the majority but, unfortunately, they are loud enough. Media have tendency to exaggerate things, but exaggeration can only be done from something that exists.

We have to be brave enough to admit it. There is no loyalty without honesty. If we only admit the bright side and hide or deny the dark side of Lazio, we are not loyalists. We are just glory hunters instead. Our loyalty to Lazio is an honest loyalty. Launching a “No Racism” campaign means there is a problem with racism amongst Laziali, however small it is. If not, why bother to start the campaign at all?

Racism is usually defined as views, practices and actions reflecting the belief that humanity is divided into distinct primordial groups called races, ethnicity, religions and nationality, and that members of a certain group share certain attributes which make that group as a whole less desirable, more desirable, inferior or superior.

If we hate, harass or hurt people based on their race, religion, ethnicity or nationality, then we are racists. We can never choose what race, ethnicity or nationality we are from. We, too, can never choose from particular parents with certain religion or belief we would be born.

Let’s look at the recent affairs which pushed racism bitterly into football as a good example. If you support “Free Palestine”, you are not a racist. It’s a political choice. Indonesia constitution even puts, “Freedom is the rights of all nations on earth” as the first sentence. If you criticise military policy of the Republic of Israel or for human rights violations, that is acceptable too. Supporting human rights is universal. But if you curse, condemn let alone harass Jews, that is racism because Jew is an ethnic and a religion.

Now we are having a great momentum to declare ourselves to be Anti-Racists. But anti-racism is not just uploading your smiling picture holding pieces of paper with “No Racism” message on it. By proclaiming ourselves as anti-racists we are committed not to do any racist actions in supporting Lazio. In any form of action, at all. If we don’t have that commitment, this campaign is just a superficial campaign, a cosmetic effort. Are we brave enough to bear those consequences?

Being a racist is bad enough. But combining it with hypocrisy and lies will only make it worse.