Football Lads & Lasses
By Lads & Lasses
Football Lads & LassesNov 18, 2021
Jock Palfreeman, the anti-fascist who spent 12 years in a Bulgarian prison.
Jock Palfreeman - A Talk With Midlands FLAF members
In the early hours of 28 December 2007, 21-year-old Jock Palfreeman, an Australian citizen, was involved in an incident during which Bulgarian student Andrei Monov was fatally stabbed. According to the case file, Monov received a single stab wound to the side of his chest, while 19-year-old Antoan Zahariev received a slash wound to the side of his torso. Palfreeman was also injured after being hit in the head and arm with pieces of concrete pavement tiles.
Monov and Zahariev had been out with over a dozen other youths from a local football hooligan gang. Palfreeman was charged with murder with hooligan intent and attempted murder. He claimed he saw the group chase two Roma. When he saw the group start attacking one of the Roma, he ran across a downtown square to help the victim. When the attack then turned on him, he pulled a knife from his pocket and waved it around to scare the gang away. However, instead of running away the youths continued to attack him as he tried to move the group away from the Roma victim.
The case was further complicated by Monov's father being a leading player within the Bulgarian Socialist Party and there were attempts by the BSP and sections of the Bulgarian Left to portray Jock as the 'fascist' aggressor, rather than the openly racist, neo-Nazi, middle-class, football hooligan Monov, whose views were clearly a political embarrassment to his father.
Jock maintained throughout his trial that he had only intervened to prevent the Roma man from being seriously assaulted by the hooligan gang and that his subsequent actions were in self-defence. With vital evidence mysterously 'lost' or witheld from the defence, he was found guilty and was sentenced to a 20 year jail term, of which he served 12 years.
Whilst in prison, Jock became a strong advocate of prisoners rights and he was instrumental in setting up the Bulgarian Prisoners Association, which he is still passionate about and actively supports.
* This podcast contains descriptions of a violent incident that resulted in loss of life. Please be aware that, although not graphic, the descriptions might still be upsetting for some listeners.
United? Well almost...
Lee joins Zander [Leeds United] and Aido [Manchester United] to discuss the first league encounter in many years between the old rivals.
Zander gives a potted history of the clash going all the way back to the War of the Roses between the counties of Yorkshire and Lancaster. He wants to correct himself on one important historical point, the first game between Leeds United and Man United was 1923, not 1906
We discuss incidents between the fans, the positive reaction of both to the players 'taking the knee' but also a couple of incidents of questionable behaviour and chants between the supporters.
Homophobia was also an unfortunate feature in a couple of matches last weekend and the lads comment on that and how we might find ways of stamping it out along with racism.
Hope you enjoy our second podcast.
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England Belongs To Us
Riaz, Shaz, Cal, Zander, Tony and Lee chew over the aftermath of the Euros.
Five English born lads and a Scotsman got together to chat about the Euros, the England team, the England fans and the racist minority.
Gareth Southgate and his players' conduct on and off the pitch is examined, as well as the fans and community response to the racial abuse of England's black players.
Apologies for some of the sound quality, please bear with us, this is our first podcast, it will get better as we go on and learn the ropes.