A 1934 article about a German club refusing to do the "Hitler salute" has been widely shared on social media in light of a decision by the NFL to curb protest. But how true is the story?
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In light of a recent decision by the NFL to prohibit players from kneeling in protest during the national anthem, an old Australian news clipping has been making the rounds on social media. The article, from the Advocate newspaper in Burnie, Tasmania, published on January 9 1934, speaks of a Karlsruhe soccer club being punished for refusing to do the Nazi salute before a game:
The story has struck a chord with many in the US who are upset with the NFL's decision, citing concerns about enforced patriotism and free speech. The league's move stems from a silent demonstration launched by then-San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick in 2016, who wanted to bring attention to the issues of police brutality and racial injustice.
Indeed, the story of Karlsruhe bravely standing up to fascism was so inticing, the story has been treated as fact by a number of major news outlets, including the New York Daily News. But the team may be getting a good deal of undue plaudits as a vanguard of freedom, when its true history is far more sinister.
French team refused to play
After the Nazis rose to power, all soccer clubs in southwestern Germany, where Karlsruhe lies, signed a declaration agreeing to commit themselves to the exclusion of Jews and Marxists. This happened even before an official decree from the German Football Association (DFB), per Hitler's express wishes, required teams to do so. Indeed one local team, FV Karlsruhe, has been noted after the fact for being particularly ardent about implementing the new rules.
The incident in the Advocate article actually took place in Metz, France. According to an Associated Press write-up of the same story found by a Snopes.com factchecker, it is the French team that perhaps deserves the accolades. The team refused to play if the Karlsuhe side did the "Hitlergruß" salute. The French authorities, fearing the fans could riot, asked the German team to refrain, and they did.
Multiple other sources back-up the Associated Press version of events.
The penalty for the "failure" mentioned in the Advocate article is also a bit of a misnomer. After the game, the DFB temporarily suspended all the teams in Germany's southwestern Baden region from playing in France.
What is perhaps more interesting to those seeking stories about the pernicious everyday of creeping fascism is the story directly under the Advocate article that has become ubiquitous on Twitter. It recounts the story of two professors at hospital in Germany's western city of Essen being sentenced to jail terms of three and four months for "falsely disparaging Nazism."
When sport and politics meet
As the IOC look to prevent athletes from political gestures in the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, the crossover between sport and politics is in the spotlight again. Here's a look at some previous political protests in sports.
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Mesut Özil offers support for Uighurs in China
Arsenal's German World Cup winner Mesut Özil has become an increasingly political figure in recent years. After a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan eventually led to the end of his national team career, the midfielder has now drawn criticism in China for a social media post speaking out against what he sees as the persecution of the Uighur population in China.
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Suffragette Emily Davison
One of the earliest examples of a sporting protest was in 1913, when the suffragette movement went mainstream thanks to the fatal protest of Emily Davison. On the day of the Derby horse race at Epsom, Davison entered the track and allowed herself to be hit by the king’s horse, Anmer. Her cause was to fight for the right of women to get the vote in Britain, which happened five years later.
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Muhammad Ali refuses army enlistment
Muhammad Ali refused to enlist to fight for the US in the Vietnam War in 1967. Already a boxing superstar, Ali based his decision on his beliefs as a Muslim and his opposition to the war. Ali was arrested, later found guilty of draft evasion, stripped of his titles, and had his fighting license suspended. Ali was out of the ring for three years until his conviction was overturned in 1971.
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Black Power salute
One of the most famous sporting protests was in 1968, when the Olympics in Mexico were rocked by Tommie Smith and John Carlos with their Black Power salutes following the final of the men's 200-meter sprint. Both athletes bowed their heads and raised black-gloved fists on the podium while the US national anthem played, a move that outraged millions of Americans.
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Abdul-Rauf protests the national anthem
US basketballer Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf rocked newspaper headlines in 1996 when he refused to stand for the national anthem before games, stating that the US flag was a symbol of oppression. He also said that standing would contradict his Islamic beliefs. The NBA suspended him and fined him more than $31,000 per missed game. He returned just days later after a compromise was reached with the league.
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Cathy Freeman carries both flags
At the 1994 Commonwealth Games, Cathy Freeman celebrated her victories in the 200-meter and 400-meter sprints by carrying both Australian and Aboriginal flags during her victory laps to celebrate her indigenous heritage. She was rebuked by the organizers of the Games, but Freeman celebrated a gold medal at her home Olympics in Sydney in 2000 by carrying both flags again.
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Boateng stands up to racist chanting
German-born Ghanian footballer Kevin-Prince Boateng took a stand against racist chanting in 2013 by walking off the field in a match against Italian fourth-tier team Pro Patria. The game was called off after 26 minutes when a section of Pro Patria supporters targeted the then-AC Milan midfielder, who reacted to the abuse by picking up the ball and kicking it at the crowd in the stand behind him.
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‘I can’t breathe’
The Black Lives Matter movement has been at the forefront of various protests and campaigns in the US recent years. One of the most prominent was in 2014 when LeBron James and fellow NBA players Kyrie Irving, Jarret Jack and Kevin Garnett wore “I can't breathe" shirts in reference to the last words of Eric Garner, an unarmed black man who died after a police officer had placed him in a chokehold.
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Ethiopian asylum protest
Olympic silver medalist Feyisa Lilesa made a name for himself at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro – but it wasn’t necessarily for his performance in the marathon. The runner crossed the line in second place with his arms above his head in solidarity with Oromo activists who were staging asylum protests in Ethiopia.
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Kaepernick takes a knee
American footballer Colin Kaepernick knelt during the US anthem in 2016, sparking the now famous #TakeAKnee campaign in a protest against racial inequality and gun violence. President Donald Trump heavily criticized Kaepernick and the growing movement, which led to increasing anger from the players and many US citizens alike.
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“We must call for change”
Gwen Berry and Race Imboden are the latest to show their anger over US social issues. A year before they compete in front of huge audiences at the Tokyo Olympic Games, the two protested against Donald Trump's policies — using stances made famous by Colin Kaepernick, and Tommie Smith and John Carlos decades before.
