I am not Jewish so I have never known antisemitism, or the persistent fear of the older generation that the genocide could recur. I am not black so I have never experienced racism.
I have never been on the losing side in a key cup final, so I have never been targeted by the hatred on social media from “supporters” who feel let down.
I can only rely on the testimony of those who have been in that position and try to imagine what it must feel like.
And then I can respond by treating people in the way I think I would like to be treated, if I were in their situation.
When asked which was the greatest of the commandments, Jesus stressed first the importance of worship and then “you shall love your neighbour as you love yourself”. But this saying didn’t start with him – the demand for compassion goes back to the early days of the Jewish faith and is found in other religions and cultures too.
“Do as you would be done by” is the Golden Rule enabling society to function in a very practical way.
Football supporters are free to take a view on the appropriateness of the anti-racist gesture by the England football team at the start of their games.
We should certainly respect the experience of black footballers in the public eye.
Native Americans did not wear football boots, but they did have the saying, “Don’t judge your fellow man until you’ve walked six months in his moccasins”.
David Morgan is a member of Wokingham Methodist Church, writing on behalf of Churches Together in Wokingham
