Critics have taken issue with an article claiming that the ships on the tops of Manchester City and Manchester United represent the slave trade.
An article published in The protector claimed that the ships shown on the respective badges had “nothing to do with football” and were instead related to how the city made its money in the 19th century.
The city’s coat of arms bears the image of a ship, as can be seen carved into the town hall, with the city council’s coat of arms depicting a ship in a similar position to Manchester’s two major professional clubs.
Simon Hattenstone, the journalist who wrote the article that sparked the debate, asked if it was time for the city to replace the ship’s decal with the bee, made famous in the aftermath of the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing.
Against the suggestions, a series of figures associated with the city published their thoughts The sun newspaper arguing that the ships did not, in fact, have slavery connotations.
Campaigners and activists have called on the city’s two biggest clubs to remove the ship from their respective tops
The suggestions have been opposed by several individuals from the city and beyond
The coat of arms on Manchester Town Hall bears a ship – as seen on the crests of the clubs
Fans from the two clubs dismissed the suggestions, with a City supporter comparing the article to people blaming the Italians for the ills of the Roman Empire.
“You can’t keep going back,” he said. “It would be like being angry with the Italians for the Roman Empire.”
A United fan named Joe Burazin told people to ‘keep their hands off’ amid calls for the crests to be changed.
The newspaper included quotes from the Labor MP for Blackley and Broughton, Graham Stringer, who opposed the vociferous claims.
“Manchester had nothing to do with the slave trade,” he said. “People from the city at the time of the American Civil War in 1861 protested against slavery. This is one of the craziest campaigns I’ve ever seen.’
Conservative MP for Wythenshawe Katherine Fletcher expressed cross-party dismay at the suggestions published in The Guardian, saying people from Manchester are among the most ‘welcoming’ in the world, suggesting the ships cannot symbolize such a thing.
Echoing the sentiments, American historian JP O’Neill said, “His (Hattenstone) “logic” is as ludicrous as it is contradictory.
“Not only do the club badges date back long after the abolition of slavery, the clubs themselves were founded decades after the end of slavery.
‘The first ship to arrive in Manchester came in 1894 with the opening of the Ship Canal.
“In Manchester, cotton workers refused to work with slave-picked cotton during the American Civil War, endangering their livelihoods.”
The article comes at a time when organizations of all kinds are under increasing scrutiny for their historical ties to things like the slave trade.
The Washington Commanders recently became known as such after being encouraged by activists to change their name from the Washington Redskins.
Manchester City’s crest features a ship above the Lancashire rose, as seen on manager Pep Guardiola
Andy Burnham, the city’s mayor, has suggested the bumblebee symbol is more indicative of Manchester and its people
The bee symbol came to prominence in the aftermath of the 2017 Manchester Arena terrorist attack
The Guardian itself admitted last month to links to the slave trade, with their founder John Edward Taylor having partnerships with companies that imported cotton picked by enslaved people.
Andy Burnham is quoted in that particular newspaper as appearing to offer his support to the bee that will become the dominant symbol of the city in the future, but does not push to advocate for the complete abolition of the ships.
“It’s not for me to mess with our clubs’ badges or the council’s crest,” he said. “But my job is to help build a positive, shared, modern Greater Manchester identity and that’s what I hope the Bee Network will do.
‘The bee symbolizes a place where people work for each other and no one is more important than anyone else. This is how we do it.’