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NME

Munroe Bergdorf has hit out at the England team for backing down over plans to wear the OneLove armband at the Qatar 2022 World Cup.

England, Wales and other European nations had planned to sport the armband to promote LGBTQ+ rights, but will no longer do so after FIFA warned that it could result in players being booked.

The armband – which features the rainbow colours associated with the Pride Flag – was intended to deliver a strong message to Qatar, where same-sex relationships are illegal.

Prior to England’s opening group game against Iran, actor Ray Winstone pleaded with captain Harry Kane to ignore FIFA’s warning and wear the armband.

Now, transgender activist and model Munroe Bergdorf has also shared a lengthy post on her Instagram page calling on the team to step up, arguing that “a backbone is a must”.

Taking aim at the England team, she wrote: “If the parameters of your allyship begins and ends when the oppression of others starts to impact your own experience of privilege – you may as well just refer to yourself as a fairweather friend and call it a day. Allyship is in your actions.

“Abandoning your role as an ally once you start to see what LGBTQ people are actually up against, is not allyship, it’s cowardice. Allyship is not about convenience, self-interest or opportunity. It is about helping to lessen the burden of marginalised groups by standing WITH us against systems of oppression.”

Bergdorf continued: “If you stand with us, you need to be prepared to be in the line of fire of the systemic oppression, as are we, oppression that is designed to silence, erase, gatekeep, ostracise, marginalise and demonise us. As queer people, we do not get to pick up and put down who we are. Most of us don’t have the privilege of saying ‘I just don’t fancy doing this today’.

“Allyship is not about downing tools when the consequences of that allyship becomes a burden to you too, one that impacts your privilege. True allyship is about fighting for what’s right for others as a continuum, not fighting for others only when it’s convenient.”

Her comments come after comedian Joe Lycett made headlines this week by appearing to throw £10,000 into a tree shredder, in protest at David Beckham’s involvement in the World Cup. Last week, Lycett criticised Beckham’s role as a tournament ambassador, which has reportedly netted him £10million.

In a video message, the comedian offered to donate £10,000 of his own money to queer charities if Beckham ended the sponsorship before the tournament started. If not, he promised he would shred the cash on the opening day of the tournament and, although it looked like he did at first, he later confirmed that all the cash had actually been donated to charity.

Many other artists have spoken about the tournament in the run-up, with Rod Stewart saying he turned down almost £1million to perform at the World Cup, saying “it’s not right”, while Robbie Williams responded to criticism for being booked to perform at the Qatar World Cup.

Dua Lipa also recently denied rumours that she was to be involved, calling on Qatar to fulfil the human rights pledges it made when it won the right to host the tournament, while Maluma, the singer of the 2022 Qatar World Cup anthem, stormed out of an interview after being accused of “whitewashing” regarding the host country’s human rights record.

Others have called for a boycott of the World Cup.

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NME

Quentin Tarantino has discussed if watching violent films as a young child had an impact on him growing up.

In his latest book Cinema Speculation, the director charts his personal history with cinema from the age of seven, where he recalls watching R-rated thrillers such as 1972’s Deliverance.

• READ MORE: Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood film review – Tarantino’s most satisfying work in decades

Speaking to Deadline about how films like 100 Rifles and Deliverance impacted him at that age, Tarantino said: “I wasn’t thinking that much about it at the time because that was just the way it was. They’re fucking movies, right? It’s not that big of a deal.

“Frankly, I don’t think it’s that much different than if I grew up with theatre-loving parents that were taking me to see Chekhov at a very early age, where maybe I don’t understand Uncle Vanya at 7 but by 9 I sort of do.”

The director believes however watching films aimed at adults from an early age did make him appear “sophisticated” to other kids growing up.

“I had my own problems, but to the other kids, because of all the movies I saw, I appeared sophisticated,” he added. “I was watching the greatest era of American movies ever known, and I was seeing them at that young age, and so, they were right. I was sophisticated.

“And not that I cussed all the time, but when I was with other kids I cussed, all right. Their cussing was tied to their parents’ cussing. But my cussing could be tied to Buddusky [Jack Nicholson] in The Last Detail. My cussing could be tied to Popeye Doyle [Gene Hackman] in The French Connection. After I saw The Outfit, after hearing that line that Joe Don Baker has, I was constantly saying, ‘I don’t give a rat’s ass.’”

Tarantino, who is known for directing films like Reservoir Dogs and Django Unchained, recently defended his use of the N-word in his projects.

“You should see [something else],” Tarantino said, addressing those offended. “Then see something else. If you have a problem with my movies then they aren’t the movies to go see. Apparently I’m not making them for you.”

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