Protesting against things is a tricky business. There are approximately a bazillion things to take into consideration. An ordinary tin badge in your lapel could well fall foul of Health & Safety if the pin doesn’t meet EU standards. But your biggest enemy is far likely to be people’s attention span.
Bobby Kennedy famously said one-fifth of the people are against everything all the time. He was probably about right. Trying to rouse the rabble isn’t easy. It’s tough threatening not to renew your Season Ticket when you do actually want to watch your team play.
This appeared on Red & White Kop courtesy of xerxes1.
It’s simple, it’s sound. So get involved!
‘It appears that Purslow , our MD, is becoming a little irritated by our desire to communicate with him. Well here is an idea.
Instead of posting all these letters and sending e mails which get junked why not write what you think of G&H, Purslow, and indeed anyone else that annoys you in the Boardroom on an A4 sheet of paper? Then, at the first home game of the season (which will no doubt be televised)that sheet of paper should be converted into a paper aeroplane .
The game is very conveniently signalled to start by the referees whistle, which should then be the cue for everyone within “flying” distance of the Directors and Press Boxes to fly their planes made up of your “message” in their direction. Those in the other stands can simply “fly” them onto the pitch.
This has lots of potential:
1.It is fun.
2. It is non violent.
3.Flying paper aeroplanes is not an offence.
4. the Directors box and Press box will be covered with paper aeroplanes containing our respective “messages”.
5. A4 sheets of paper and a pen are not prohibited items at Anfield – ask the press boys.
6. The referees whistle actually co-ordinates the “attack” , I mean fly-past.
7.The games start may need to be delayed for a few minutes, but not postponed or abandoned if enough aeroplanes from other stands land on the pitch.
8. The protest would be beamed around the world.
9. It would be effective even if it were just a few thousand paper aeroplanes (SOS membership). But I happen to suspect that the Kop is the home of thousands of paper aeroplane enthusiasts who would be eager to see the sight of thousands of aeroplanes launched simultaneously fom the Kop at the signal of the referees whistle…….
10. Repeat at every televised home game for maximum publicity!
Of course G&H would try to ban “paper aeroplane throwing” which would be even more ridiculous gaining us even more publicity as we “Fight to defend our right to fly paper aeroplanes” – whose directional flight it is notoriously difficult to control!
Bombarding the directors Box and Press Box in this way would certainly get the message through, and would be exquisitely embarrassing for them to explain. And with several weeks to organise there is loads of time to generate publicity and get the word out – and it doesn’t hurt the team or manager.
Having Martin Tyler’s Monkey announce that the start to the game was being delayed while protest letters from fans to the Board were being cleared off the pitch would be sublime.’
