Media Hooligans Outdo Fans, Despite UEFA Admonishments on Racism

June 25, 2012

Talk about sore losers! Despite UEFA’s very visible anti-racism campaign in the Euro 2012 tournament, it seems that the pitting of nation vs nation, even just at competitive sport, may still degenerate into ethnic stereotyping. Not that hooligans have run amok making embarrassing racist displays in the stands. They have not. The problem has come rather from the besuited yobs of corporate media, not missing the opportunity the tournament gives to sow more division among the masses—in a brief respite from their war propaganda campaigns (speaking of violence)—while unleashing thinly veiled, racially charged attacks on their vanquishers at football.

Case 1: Canadian TV’s Global News (Shaw Communications)

Global Montreal—Subtext: Italians are violent, passionate

Following Italy’s victory over England yesterday in the Euro 2012 tournament, Shaw Communication’s Global Montreal National news ran a video piece from Toronto, a city sometimes called a clean, safe New York. Signed Mike Drolet, “Soccer fans return to Little Italy” is set at a “Sicilian” cafe where an alleged mob hit (of one John Raposo) recently took place. The reporter ingenuously links the incident to a second recent shooting in Toronto three weeks prior, where the “victims were again targeted”—the innuendo falsely suggesting a trend of ‘Italian violence’. The defamatory report fails to mention that the earlier incident, a mall shooting, was street gang-related (not mob), with suspect and victims alike bearing distinctly non-Latin names. But let’s not let facts get in the way of a good smear (Italian violence in Toronto.) The stage is set.

Cut to man wearing football shirt emblazoned ITALIA, writ large, in video interview about rash of Toronto shootings. Italia. Violence. Where is the theme from The Godfather?

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