Liverpool have confirmed they will play the national anthem before kick off on Saturday, to mark the Coronation of the King and Queen consort.
Officials at Anfield though, recognise that many of their supporters have strong views on an event which will include lavish and ostentatious displays of wealth, when many in the country are enduring extreme hardship.
Liverpool confirmed they were contacted directly by the Premier League last week, who “strongly suggested” all clubs with home fixtures this weekend mark the occasion, and provided a list of activities to “get involved in”. The club has decided to follow the Premier League guidelines, after reflecting on the controversy already being pumped up by certain sections of the right wing media, following recent displays of dissent towards the monarchy by Liverpool fans.
In a statement released on Friday morning, the club said: “Before kick-off and in recognition of the Premier League’s request to mark the coronation, players and officials will congregate around the centre circle when the national anthem will be played.
“It is, of course, a personal choice how those at Anfield on Saturday mark this occasion and we know some supporters have strong views on it.”
Liverpool as a city has long held anti-monarchy views, even back to the times when royals profited massively from the slave trade which came through the sea-faring port.
Protest against the monarchy grew during the 1840s during the great famine, when hundreds of thousands of refugees - starved by the policies of the royal-appointed British government - arrived at the port.
In the 1980s, Margaret Thatcher’s Tory government pursued a ruthless policy of ‘managed decline’ against the city, plunging many thousands into abject poverty.
The feeling of discontent grew when the establishment performed an obscene cover up after the unlawful killing of 97 Liverpool fans at Hillsborough, led by Thatcher’s government once more.
Many Liverpool fans are rightly angry that the club feel forced to play the anthem by the Premier League, when so many believe they have the right to peaceful protest to mark the uncaring, ruthless attitudes of the establishment against the working people.
Most recently, the supporters booed Prince William during the national anthem at the FA Cup final last May.
Afterwards, Reds manager Jurgen Klopp suggested that people should look into the historical reasons for the fans’ choice to exercise their democratic right of dissent.
"It's always best to ask the question - why does this happen? They wouldn't do it without a reason. Maybe I'm not here long enough to understand. I am sure it's historical."
