After hundred days of the English premier league suspension by the coronavirus, Manchester City and Arsenal players exhibited jerseys on the soccer field with the inscription 'Black Lives Matter' behind.
Following the brutal murder of the African-American, George Floyd, many organizations and football players around the globe have shown solidarity and supported the 'Black Lives Matter,' movement, since there is also a serious issue of racism in football.
Manchester City player, Kevin De Bruyne was among other players to denounce racism in soccer as he kneels on the field. However, I strongly believe De Bruyne's action may trigger many questions of interest.
The footballer comes from Belgium, a country that has hailed and supported colonial crimes by erecting statues and naming streets after Leopold II, a king that maimed, hacked the wrists and limbs of children and killed thousands of Congolese.
Why for decades, it has never been a subject of interest to Kevin De Bruyne and other Belgium players, including Romelu Lukaku and Vincent Kompany, to speak about that inglorious statue of Leopold II, which has brought shame, disrespect, and insults to the black man?
You need to consider people who deliberately do the wrong things, yet pretend they have done something good very dangerous. That is both the Belgium government and its royal family. If there isn't any statue for Hitler for killing Jews, then there shouldn't be any Leopold II's statue for killing Africans because we are all human beings.
The color of a person doesn't matter than the brain he has, therefore this color issue was just institutionalized as a barrier for the greedy white people to oppress other people to work as slaves for them, leading to slavery, colonialism brutalities and Apartheid.
Marc Dutroux is a Belgian convicted pedophile who killed children. He was convicted in 1989 for the abduction and rape of five young girls and in 2004, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for the abduction, rape, and killings of young girls.
Since 2004, I am waiting for the Belgium government to unveil the statue of Dutroux but it has never happened. Sometimes I wonder why a country that has gained world recognition in beer and chocolate productions, will ruin their reputation in this manner?
Surprisingly, despite all the problems, including demonstrations and hate that have generated against the government and the royal family, over those stupid statues, the Belgian government wasn't prepared to remove them, until angry protesters defaced one of Leopold's statue in Ekeren, one Belgium's municipals.
The removal of Leopold's statue in Ekeren has a voice that if the Belgium government or the royal family is wise, they should listen to. Also, Kevin De Bruyne's jersey also has a message that if they listen carefully they will hear.
Already, statues serving slavery and colonial interest are being pulled down. The Belgian government and the royal family shouldn't wait for another 'George Floyd' to be killed, followed by riots, before they consider pulling down the senseless Leopold's statues.
A word to the wise is enough.
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