Civil Disobedience

[New York Red]

To me there are a number of things that could be done for a serious boycott short of it just being absolute chaos that falls apart.

 

It needs a strong message to be transmitted to all the fans.

 

It needs to be ratcheted up to put the squeeze on the club to make the bank double their efforts.

 

The message to the sponsors needs to be loud and clear -- keep doing business with the club and they will lose your business. Cut off ties with the club as it is, or if they do business with a new, positive owner, then you'd be happy to do business with them.

 

Have different protests to gradually increase the pressure on the club: everybody wear black to the games; everybody stay in your seats after the game with placards spelling something out; everybody rally in Stanley Park before games; picket the stadium all week to stop purchases in the club store; etc etc.

 

Creativity is what is needed in order to get serious attention to this cause. Not half-hearted efforts like paying for a billboard that nobody will see. How many would tie-cuff themselves to their seat at the end of a game?

 

One form letter. For each sponsor and each supplier. Everyone should be able to fire them off the computer, sign them, and send them. On one particular day to barrage the sponsor. This needs to be easy to do, but organized.

 

Petitions do no good at all. What does work is people signing a commitment to these actions in order to document the true magnitude of these actions.

[Red_Rob]

A black flag day. The Kop on a flag day is one of the most iconic sights in football, a black flag day - literally just black flags - would be a very strong image.

[Falconhoof]

nt.

[alex1]

Not just flags. Everyone wear black. No red. Black.

 

Altenatively on the black flags could be red images, writing. This would be highly visable as well.

[Gunga Din]

the black flag day is a great idea and should be done for the next televised home game

[dorgie]

the black flag day is a great idea and should be done for the next televised home game

 

and you won't even have to change your match day shirt

Edited September 1, 2010 by dorgie

[Cam]

Love the black flag idea... topped with fans dressing in black too (and not the 3rd kit).

 

The should be the first step as it's quite easy but if we're planning protests we need several lined up at once. SoS failed miserably with only concentrating on one thing at once (probably with dozens of meetings about them in between) - it just loses momentum.

 

Sept) black flags, Oct) stop a coach, Nov) boycott a game etc etc etc.

[Red Kent]

I like the black flag idea.

 

Our next home live Prem game is Chelsea 7th Nov.

 

The next live home game will be the Steaua game in two weeks.

[KIDORIGINAL]

"s*** Tom, their flags are black... We'll have to sell now :( ".

 

I can't see it.

[Red Kent]

"s*** Tom, their flags are black... We'll have to sell now :( ".

 

I can't see it.

 

Noone is expecting that outcome, it's all about promoting the fight.

 

I just wish some mad Yank would take the pair out.

[KIDORIGINAL]

Noone is expecting that outcome, it's all about promoting the fight.

 

I just wish some mad Yank would take the pair out.

 

But promoting it is pointless because

 

1) enough people know about our situation to make an adequate difference

 

and 2) no matter how many people know about it, nobody will act in the way necessary.

 

We buy the club, scare them out or we're f***ed. That's the bottom line.

[Rory Fitzgerald]

I think the strongest message is a boycott but most importantly a picket organised by the boycott group.

 

I have posted this before. If a small number do a peaceful picket then it is likely to gain some momentum via reporting in the Echo and spreading via the internet forums and SOS etc. In fact, people that dont get tickets to go may go to the ground to support.

 

I think the numbers would grow bit by bit. It probably wont have much of an impact on attendances by late October (thats perhaps 5 home games) but if people remain relient then it may gain sufficient momentum that not only do the local papers report it, but the pockets of empty seats impact the atmosphere of the live matches in terms of the visual effect.

 

If that happens, I imagine reds from greater distances out may reconsider their trips to games if they are unsure about the pickets and that is the level it needs to get to - if sufficient seeds are put in the day trippers minds then it could just reach a critical mass.

[barnesology]

Black.

 

Not too sure the colour of mourning is an appropriate response. We're not dead, yet!, just being strangled. (b******s)

 

An empty Kop at kick off against Chelsea. A simple white banner that says 'RBS, Do the right thing, ynwa'

 

Now that's a potent image, that would been seen worldwide and deliver a clear message. Flood all the local papers with the idea, get an Echo journo interested, print some simple flyers promoting it for distribution at the previous home/away game.

 

 

 

 

 

Oct 6th, is beginning to occupy too much of my thinking time.

[Billy Talbot]

I'll drive over 100 miles for a picket.

 

I won't do that for a game any more.

[George Costanza]

"s*** Tom, their flags are black... We'll have to sell now :( ".

 

I can't see it.

 

well unless you have a spare £500m or are a hitman then there's f*** all anybody can do about it. Doesn't mean we do nothing

[Hodgson for Chelsea]

The green and gold did the trick for the mancs afterall

 

Oh

[KIDORIGINAL]

Something that could show RBS we'll really get in the way is to all buy a tenner worth of shares before selling them a day later.

 

Or open and close an account.

[New York Red]

Barraging the sponsors with letters, I'm talking about thousands of letters would help. Make it public that these products are being actively boycotted. The economic componant to this is crucial. There has to be some choking off of the cash flow to let RBS know that they have to cut their losses and force a sale of a rapidly devaluing asset.

 

Walking in the the stadium late is tough to do I'll admit. What isn't so bad is having everyone exit the Kop and half time and coming in late. An empty Kop. The peer pressure could be effective, but the spectacle of it would be incredible.

[_00_deathscar]

 

Not too sure the colour of mourning is an appropriate response. We're not dead, yet!, just being strangled. (b******s)

 

Blue then...or purple.

[smithdown]

"s*** Tom, their flags are black... We'll have to sell now :( ".

 

I can't see it.

 

 

me neither.

 

it's too late for all this

 

granted there are loads who will go the match whatever is happening to the club and they could adopt some token gesture like wearing black shirts but it is hardly what you'd call civil disobedience.

[Nebraska Red]

as much as I applaud some of these ideas, anything done in and around the ground will be jumped on by the Police.

 

they'll cite safety reasons for any actions they take to either get people in their seats or out of the stadium.

 

boycoting games is the best way to go, but it will never happen as people will not want to waste any money they have already laid out.

[smithdown]

Barraging the sponsors with letters, I'm talking about thousands of letters would help. Make it public that these products are being actively boycotted. The economic componant to this is crucial. There has to be some choking off of the cash flow to let RBS know that they have to cut their losses and force a sale of a rapidly devaluing asset.

 

ooters and oocers doing their bit, good style

 

pick a different sponsor or advertiser each match day

[smithdown]

as much as I applaud some of these ideas, anything done in and around the ground will be jumped on by the Police.

 

they'll cite safety reasons for any actions they take to either get people in their seats or out of the stadium.

 

boycoting games is the best way to go, but it will never happen as people will not want to waste any money they have already laid out.

 

 

peaceful protests happen all the time, every march and protest has passed off peacefully so far

 

let the police numbers increase, that is part of the pressure we would apply if we have sufficient numbers - making the running of the club more difficult than it is now. who will pay for them? how many games before they are having a word?

 

disrupting the club and forcing them out isn't going to be easy. no soft option appears to exist.

[alex1]

Understand the boycott but don't think it will work.

 

How about extending the mourning theme.i.e

 

A peaceful march to the ground calling a coffin- symbolic. With the date 6th october draped over it and the words - RBS do the right thing. In the coffin can be a larger flag wih the same message to be held on the kop.

 

Also need to try and get the players to wear black ties instead of he new red tie that roy has introduced. And in the post match interview whichever players are being interviewed they should to be drapped in a black scarf. Understand this bit could be near impossible however some players are speaking out (Torres) more need too. Ex players should also be rallied.

 

The simple things sometimes carry the most power. Everyone doing this will be symbolic and can not be missed.

 

Might not be dead but this a predictive vision. RBS do the right thing.

Edited September 2, 2010 by alex1

[Case]

Don't like the coffin idea at all. The connotations of how that might get reported/skewed by the media are too awful to comprehend - It'd backlash on us all. But ..... The black tie/scarf idea is interesting....

 

For me, the best way to get an image across is via a massive image being displayed on the Kop - perhaps by the ST holders, refferring to how RBS are actively contributing to the demise of our club - There must be software out there somewhere that can achieve this?. Better still if it's a black shirt day, IMO - a great idea, better again if this could be co-ordinated with an empty Kop for 10 minutes at the start of a second half.

 

NONE of this is easy to achieve, granted, but NYR is right - Action is now required, apathy is no longer an answer. It needs local, organised, and intelligent activists to stand up and lead this.

Edited September 2, 2010 by Babelucas