Colchester United's Callum Harriott slams 'ridiculous' behaviour of fans who booed players taking a knee
Colchester United winger Callum Harriott has condemned the "ridiculous" behaviour of a section of the club's fans who booed players taking a knee at the start of their League Two clash against Grimsby Town.
The match on Saturday evening was the first time that supporters have been allowed in the JobServe Community Stadium this season, after the lockdown was lifted earlier this month.
However, the return of 1,000 fans was marred by the actions of a minority who booed as the two teams took a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement just before kick-off.
It came just hours after a similar incident had taken place at the Championship match between Millwall and Derby County at The Den.
After the game, Harriott, who scored the winner in a 2-1 win for Colchester, tweeted his disappointment and said the fact that he could hear booing from the stands was "ridiculous."
In a statement, Colchester also the condemned the behaviour of fans and said everyone at the club is "fully behind any and all of our players and staff who take a stand against any form of discrimination in football, sport and life."
The two incidents at Colchester and Millwall spoiled what should have been a positive day with fans finally returning to grounds for the first time in nearly nine months.
The chairman of Kick It Out, Sanjay Bhandari, said he was "saddened" by the incident at Millwall and praised players for "defying the hate" shown.
"What this demonstrates is that players are right to continue standing up to discrimination, whether that is through taking the knee or speaking out," he said.
"The fight for racial equality continues and we will continue to work closely with clubs across the country to tackle discrimination in all its forms.
"We applaud the players for taking a stand and defying the hate shown today."