Despite a universally strong understanding that Nazis are awful, evil people, there’s been a resurgence of brazen racist displays in Australia for bewildering reasons.
One of which was on show over the long weekend when a man was photographed twice, wearing a Nazi swastika over his Port Adelaide Football Club guernsey.
Understandably, Port is not impressed that a Nazi is roaming the streets in their paraphernalia. General Manager of member services Matthew Richardson says the club is searching for the man to determine if he is a member to suspend his membership – which is pretty much the only way they can reprimand him.
“Port Adelaide is disturbed by the image and does not condone the action of the individual. It is strictly against our supporter code of conduct,” he said.
“If anyone can identify the person please advise the club.”
The photos have surfaced at a particularly tense time for the club who is already embroiled in existing racism controversy.
Earlier this month, a Port fan was reported for allegedly calling Crows star Eddie Betts an “ape” on Facebook and writing he “should go back to the zoo where him and his family belong”.
Maxine Spratt claimed she didn’t believe calling Betts was racist “because I’m part Aboriginal myself”, and added that the backlash to her comments has her fearing for her safety.
“There’s been a few people that want to smash my face in and beat me and my partner up,” she told the Seven Network.
Her comments come just eight months after the club banned another female member for throwing a banana at Betts during a game against the Crows.
A week ago, Betts posted an Instagram post pledging that he’d “keep going” – presumably in retaliation to the racist taunts.
Earlier in April, Port Adelaide confirmed a Crows fan racially taunted ruckman Patrick Ryder, but was challenged by surrounding spectators and ran away before security could intervene.
A research project released last year found that the AFL had lost a bevvy of Aboriginal and non-Anglo-Australian footballers due to the nuanced and casual racism lurking in the clubs – a problem not helped by some idiot wearing an international hate symbol over an AFL guernsey.
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