On this day, 25 January 1995, Manchester United footballing legend Eric Cantona kung fu kicked a fascist football hooligan, Matthew Simmons, during a match against Crystal Palace. Simmons, who attended far-right National Front and British National Party rallies and has a raft of violent convictions including attacking a football coach who called him “Nazi scum”, allegedly heckled Cantona as a “foreigner”.
Cantona’s maternal grandfather was from Barcelona, and fought against the forces of fascist General Franco during the Spanish civil war, before being forced to flee to France after the nationalist victory.
Years later appearing on the BBC, Cantona was asked what the highlight of his career was. He replied “When I did the kung fu kick on the hooligan… I think maybe it’s like a dream for some, you know sometimes to kick these kind of people. So I did it for them. So they are happy.”
So what do you think, did Cantona make you happy? Let us know in the comments…
We have produced some merch commemorating the occasion. Check it out here, along with books about football’s relationship with radical politics: https://shop.workingclasshistory.com/collections/all/footballhttps://www.facebook.com/workingclasshistory/photos/a.296224173896073/1906648862853588/?type=3
Known internationally as Half Human, this abominable snowman film is most famous for its unavailability. After complaints about how primitive villagers were portrayed in the film, Japanese studio Toho pulled it from circulation right after its release in 1955, and has sat on it since. A grainy print of Godzilla director Ishiro Honda’s movie is available internationally. The lead actors of Gojira are still stiff as ever, but Akemi Negishi is stunning as a mountain girl, the snowman is beautifully realised, and the cinematography impressive for a B movie.
This blog is mostly so I can vent my feelings and share my interests. Other than that, I am nothing special.
If you don't like Left Wing political thought and philosophy, all things related to horror, the supernatural, the grotesque, guns or the strange, then get the fuck out. I just warned you.
