Swansea striker speaks on BLM movement and gives his own experiences

The BLM movement has been a major event this year with activists, celebrities, sporting stars and the public striving for equality, but that’s something a Swansea footballer thinks may not be achieved any time soon.

ANDRE AYEW recently spoke about the Black Lives Matter movement and shared his own personal experiences of racism.

The Swansea forward said the problem is not going to be solved overnight, however he believes that the passion he’s seen for the movement since it began, gives hope for future generations.

The BLM movement and their fight against social injustice began following the death of George Floyd on May 25, after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes.

Ever since then, the BLM movement has practiced peaceful and non-peaceful demonstrations all over the world.

In what has been a tense time for many; things have been cancelled, statues have been torn down and graffiti and violence has been on full display.

But these acts have not taken away from the movement, as the former West Ham striker explains, “I think the movement can achieve what we all want – equality, that’s all.

“We’ve been through this so long that we just feel like enough is enough. Let everything be okay for everyone, let’s just let it be equal for everyone.

“It’s going to be hard but if we all keep believing and feeling like everything we’re doing is right and for the right cause, then I think that we’ll make it.

“Everything goes with a process. Start every day, move forward, higher and higher – and I feel like people are understanding what we mean.

“When I feel not only black people standing and talking about it, even white people, then you know that you’re starting to get somewhere.

“It’s going to be very hard but we need to keep believing in what we’re doing and get the equality that we want to get, that’s the main thing.

“At the end of the day, maybe this generation will not enjoy that equality but the next one will get it if we keep doing what we’re doing.”

BLM Movement
SPEAKS: Ayew shares personal experiences of racism.
CREDIT: Twitter

Ayew, who is enjoying his third spell with the Welsh club, also opened up about the racial discrimination he has suffered, “I remember playing in Russia in the Europa League versus (Zenit) St. Petersburg, getting bananas thrown everywhere.

“People have gone through worse, I’m talking about my personal experience, but I’ve seen friends going through things and I just feel like that’s not how it should be.

“We need to make sure that we stamp our foot on the floor and make sure that it changes. Nothing’s easy but we need to keep going and not give up in what we believe in. I think that can take the world to another level.”

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Written by

Matthew Roscoe

Originally from the UK, Matthew is based on the Costa Blanca and is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com.

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