Bring Your Flags On Tuesday!

There are several facets to this controversial issue so let's look at them:

This all started when Turk Cypriot Mete Ahmed refused to take down the flag of his state in northern Cyprus. This triggered a response from the Greek Cypriot community who started a petition, got over 3,000 people to sign it and presented it to the club asking them to ban this particular flag as it's offensive. The club asked Mete to take the flag down and, well aware of his civil rights, refused to do so. The club then took the step of banning all national flags from the new stadium.

Was this the only option? Certainly not! However, Arsenal in its own inimitable way, decided to offend as few people as possible and impose a blanket ban of flags which they could always point to if there were complaints. This is no doubt the option chosen which the club felt would be easiest to implement. Another option they could have carried out is they could have simply banned the abrasive flag. If somebody brought in a flag with a Swastika, it would be banned no question. Because even though the person had the civil right to bring in a flag, it would have offended a lot of people. Obviously a lot more people but the principle is the same so would the club have banned all flags then? Alternatively, they could have allowed the flag and advised the petitioners that there was nothing they could do about it as he wasn't breaking the terms and conditions of his season ticket or any laws. Full stop. If they were still dissatisfied, they could have countered with Greek Cypriot flags. Let's face it, out of the 3,000 people that signed that petition, how many will go to Arsenal? How many of them would have actually been insulted at seeing this flag?

What all this now means is that a big part of football atmosphere has been denied to us. Okay, there are still certain non-national Arsenal flags allowed but how many of them exist?! The vast majority of AFC flags are national flags. Whatever the reasons, that's just the design of them. The flags that were draped over the tiers of our stadium were mostly George Crosses and hundreds of our fans have spent tens of thousands of pounds over the years to design and make these flags. Yet we can no longer raise them in support of our team.

Wow! There's so much hypocrisy with this whole issue it's amazing. First of all, there's the Arsenal official merchandise riddled with George Crosses here and there. The club see fit to make scarves and mugs with George Crosses so what if a kid with an Arsenal George Cross scarf offends a Frenchman on match day? Does the kid get ejected?

The club were asked in a fans forum meeting two years ago if London won the Olympics, would Arsenal allow England to play in "the best stadium in Europe"? The club said it didn't matter as the Olympic bid would clearly be won by Paris. Oopsie! Now London has the Olympics, will the club turn down £1m per event if it meant succumbing to the IOC if they want national flags displayed? Or does it only matter when it's Arsenal fans?

Remember Wenger Day at Highbury last season? There were Tricolors and George Crosses being waved with reckless abandon and disregard of what passing Italians would think.

In October 2004, Arsenal agreed to sell the naming rights of the new stadium to the national airline of a country which has banned Jews. Sections of Arsenal's Jewish fan base complained but their protests fell on deaf ears. Did a £90 million pound chunk of cash have something to do with it? You decide. Even now, how many Jewish Arsenal fans detest the fact that they have "Emirates" on Jumbotrons, LCD advertising, match programmes… everywhere in their face? Loads! Do the board want to do anything about their complaints? Nope. Get Peter Tatchell on the case, I say!

Of course, we're now used to certain members of the Arsenal board making these ludicrous decisions. The two bond issues, the new crest with its phantom "focus group", the smoking ban and the pandering to OutRage and their ineptitude with the Ashley Cole situation. But step outside of microcosm that is modern Arsenal culture for a second to see what the football consensus is. A plethora of Greek Cypriots think Arsenal made the wrong decision. The majority of Premiership football fans are in support of us and also think the ban's ridiculous. Maybe because there's some empathy there and it's an all too recognisable trend in English football. If Moratti told Inter fans they couldn't bring in Italy flags, you could bet your bollocks to a barn dance it would be pissing down Lambrettas in the San Siro. If Laporta told Barca fans they face ejection if they fly their red and yellow flag, the next match day would see a lot of headless pigs in Catalunya.

This is football. It's not a territorial war in the Mediterranean. Why have Arsenal recently allowed themselves to be used as a platform for gay rights activists and Cypriot republicans? These causes may well be worthy ones by their own merits but what do they have to do with Arsenal Football Club?

Just as we were all told to stay sat down while the away fans stand all game, so it will pass that away fans will display their George Crosses unchallenged. No doubt we'll sit there and take it on the chin. It's how we've been conditioned over recent years. But should we? Would other fans take these constant slaps in the face as we do while the clubs they profess to love milk every penny out of them? Probably not! Here's what we want to do. After speaking to key members of operations, we know the vast majority of stewards are disgusted that the fans can't have national flags at the "Emirates Stadium". They've made assurances that, the odd jobsworth aside, fans will actually not be ejected purely for having a national flag. So how about for the first time in a long time, we Arsenal fans unite? Show our disdain and show that we're pissed off! What's next on the agenda, lads? No singing? No talking? It's a scary trend that means football's becoming less and less enjoyable and it's a wrench supporting this team now because we're getting ordered around like children!

Dig up your old flags! Whatever they are! If you can make it to the Charlton game on Tuesday, bring it along and unfurl it when the teams come out. Even if it's for ten seconds. Let's make it happen because we need to draw a line in the sand and this is how it's done!

Victory Through Harmony.


REDaction is a group of Independent Arsenal Fans committed to improving the match day Atmosphere at Highbury.

REDaction is an open Forum and we welcome suggestions and feedback from all Arsenal fans, so please get in touch with us at redaction@btinternet.com if you have something to contribute.