The world currently is facing a tide of protest against ‘White Supremacy’ and for seeking equal rights for all races and skin tone.
The ruthless murder of African American origin, George Floyd, by police officers in custody, sparked a massive global outrage against racism.
Players from all around the globe have stood in solidarity for the unfortunate event which unfolded in the United States of America (USA), pointing out their own experiences, being subjected to racism.
Over many years, fans witnessed many African-origin footballers facing the brunt of racism while playing in Europe.
Not only football, racism even found its way into cricket and other sports as well. The recent case of Darren Sammy has been doing quite a number of rounds on social media.
Joining the bandwagon, former Indian opener, Aakash Chopra, has now opened up on his experiences, being subjected to racism.
Chopra, during his stint in England, faced racial abuse by a couple of South African cricketers who kept calling him a ‘Paki’.
‘Paki’ is a popular racial slur against brown-skinned Asians in the USA and Europe. The word is generally used as a slang for a Pakistani citizen.
“We (cricketers) at one point or the other, have been victims of racism. I remember when I used to play league cricket in England, there were two South African is one of the opposition teams and both of them really went on an abusive spree. Even when I was at the non-striker’s end, they were after my life. They were constantly calling me Paki,” Chopra said on his Youtube Show ‘Akashvani’.
The ex-Test opener played alongside Virender Sehwag briefly during the early 2000s. Chopra is remembered for his valiant knock, withering the storm against a potent Australian lineup in the 2003 Melbourne Test match.
“Now many believe Paki is a short form of Pakistan, but that is not true. If you are brown-skinned. If you’re anywhere from the Asian subcontinent, this term is used to abuse racially. You’re called Paki, and nobody likes it. The moment you call anybody Paki in England, you know the intention behind it. That’s what happened to me at that time. My team stood by me, but the truth is the person in front of me was doing it,” added the cricketer-turned-broadcaster.
Further, he cited the racial chants against Andrew Symonds during one of the ODI matches at Mumbai, when Australia toured India in 2007.
“Even if you’re white-skinned, it happens then as well. When they come to this part of the world, they are also subjected to this kind of behaviour. In fact, when Andrew Symonds came to India, so many Monkey chants started filling up the Wankhede Stadium. That is when people were told that your entry would be banned,” concluded Chopra.
