James McClean says he will ‘never bend the knee’ or wear the poppy as it ‘honours British soldiers who committed brutal crimes’ in Ireland as Wrexham star speaks out after latest refusal to wear the remembrance symbol
James McClean says he will ‘never bend the knee’ or wear the poppy as it ‘honours British soldiers who committed brutal crimes’ in Ireland.
The 35-year-old posted a statement on his Instagram account this morning after a clip resurfaced of the Irish Wrexham captain comparing British soldiers to ‘terrorists’.
He yesterday stood separately from Wrexham and Mansfield players observing a minute of silence on the weekend of Remembrance Day fixtures.
In a 397-word statement this morning, McClean reiterated his stance was because of the ‘brutal crimes’ carried out by Brit soldiers when they shot dead thirteen unarmed civilians during Bloody Sunday in 1972.
‘That is why I never have and never will wear a poppy,’ he told his 120,000 followers.
He added: ‘One thing I never have and never will do, is bend the knee to compromise my convictions.’
It comes after footage of McClean being interviewed by Patrick Kielty on the Late Late Show was published on X this morning in which he made comparisons between the IRA and the British Army.
The Wrexham star stood separate to his team-mates observing a moment of silence on Saturday
Members of the Royal Marines presented the match ball before the game got underway
McClean said he would happily wear a poppy if its sole purpose was to honour those killed in the First and Second World Wars.
And he claimed the poppy is ‘now forced on everyone in the UK ‘and god forbid someone doesn’t wear it, the abuse they have to endure’.
He denied ‘hating our country [England]’ and quoted one snide remark he had received was that he was ‘happy to work and live in the UK but take the King’s shillings’ and should be sent back home.
‘Well the sad matter of fact is if I did I would still getting paid in the “king’s shillings” unfortunately, which [is] part of the whole problem to begin with,’ he said.
His interview with Kielty in September 2023 was posted on X this morning in which he said there is ‘an arrogance and ignorance [in England] where they’re taught one side of their history’.
‘They speak about the IRA and this and that as terrorists , and you know we look at the British Army as terrorists as well because of what they inflicted in my home city and throughout the north of Ireland,’ he said.
McClean was born in Derry, Northern Ireland, where in 1972 British paratroopers shot scores of unarmed civilians during a protest march known as Bloody Sunday.
Thirteen were killed and at least 15 others were injured.
McClean first made headlines in 2012 over his personal decision not to wear a poppy in the lead-up to Remembrance Day, a decision which led to him being booed by some of his own fans.
He has continued this stance throughout his career in England, leading to him being targeted by sectarian abuse.
Demonstrators run during Bloody Sunday in Londonderry on January 30, 1972
People hold pictures of the victims of ‘Bloody Sunday’ as they retrace the steps of the original 1972 civil rights march, in a walk of remembrance to mark the 50th anniversary – January 30, 2022
Soldiers take cover behind their sandbagged armoured cars while dispersing rioters with CS gas in Londonderry on January 30, 1972 – the day that became known as Bloody Sunday
Crowds watch during the funeral procession of the 13 victims of Bloody Sunday
James McClean (left) continued his stance of refusing to wear a poppy on his shirt honouring Remembrance Day
In 2014 he wrote an emotional open letter in explanation of his stance.
He said if the poppy only represented those who fought in the two world wars, he would have no problem wearing one. However, he said, as the poppy also represents those who have fought since 1945 – including during the Northern Ireland conflict, he could not wear one.
In that letter, McClean said he had great respect for those that fought and died in both World Wars, however, he had a great problem with the poppy representing those killed in conflicts since 1945.
In particular, McClean said that as someone born in Derry, he could not support the poppy appeal.
He said: ‘For people from the North of Ireland such as myself, and specifically those in Derry, scene of the 1972 Bloody Sunday massacre, the poppy has come to mean something very different.’
He said that after those events it would be ‘an act of disrespect’ to those people.
McClean had previously refused to wear a poppy earlier in his career while playing for Sunderland.
Games taking place across the United Kingdom throughout the remembrance weekend typically see players either wear an armband featuring a poppy or a shirt with the iconic flower etched into it.
McClean was named as a starter in the League One clash at the Racecourse Ground on Saturday and decided to stand by his previous decision to not don a poppy.
The Northern Irishman instead stood on his own away from the group of players who were paying their respects.
Wrexham supporters also began to chant he ‘hates the f***ing King’ just moments after the moment of silence ended with McClean previously hailing fans singing in the stands.
In April, McClean celebrated with Wrexham fans who were singing for him following the Welsh side’s 6-0 thrashing of Forest Green Rovers that secured them promotion into League One.
The Irishman at the time was seen urging the crowd to continue singing the song referencing the Royal family.
That incident came just a few weeks after Prince William visited Wrexham’s Racecourse Ground to meet staff and players, and hear about how the club has risen since the takeover by Hollywood stars Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds.
King Charles met the Hollywood duo on his own visit to Wrexham in December 2022, while Prince William met McElhenney, manager Phil Parkinson, plus players Ben Tozer and Luke Young on St David’s Day last month.
Taking to Instagram in April, McClean shared a screenshot of a MailOnline story about the song incident and wrote: ‘Is this correct? Absolutely and I also sang along at the top of my lungs.’
He added: ‘Do I make any apologies for doing so? Absolutely not.’
McClean wore a pin badge featuring the Palestine and Ireland flags during the Sky Bet League 2 match between Doncaster Rovers and Wrexham on April 2, 2024
Last September, McClean admitted regrets about posting a controversial picture of himself in lockdown ‘jokingly’ home schooling his children in a balaclava, which was interpreted as a reference to the IRA
Inked just below one a tattoo of Free Derry – – a self-declared autonomous Irish nationalist area of the city in the Troubles – McClean has a quote from author and playwright Enid Bagnold
His decision has previously seen McClean suffer torrents of abuse from angry supporters that view his poppy snub as an insult to the memory of armed forces personnel who have lost their lives in combat.
The Republic of Ireland international is a divisive figure in professional football having previously issued calls for a united Ireland, refused to wear a poppy as is tradition in fixtures throughout November and once posed IRA-style in a balaclava in front of his children for a ‘school history lesson’.
In September, he clashed with Birmingham City supporters when being substituted and later called a fan at the match a ‘smelly fat gammon’ after catching a cup of Bovril that had been thrown at him.
The fallout from the game also saw McClean honour a previous IRA fighter in an Instagram post stating: ‘They have nothing in their whole imperial arsenal that can break the spirit of an Irishman who doesn’t want to be broken.’
Bloody Sunday: Banned protest of 20,000 became worst single shooting of ‘The Troubles’ with 13 dead after British Army opened fire
Thirteen unarmed civilians were shot dead by the 1st Battalion of the British Army’s Parachute Regiment on what became known as Bloody Sunday in Bogside, Londonderry on January 30, 1972.
Another 15 people were wounded in the shootings, with one of those injured – John Johnston – dying four months later.
Other protesters were injured by shrapnel or batons, and two were run down by army vehicles during the chaos which broke out on William Street.
The killings, which took place in the space of ten minutes shortly after 4pm, happened during a protest against internment without trial organised by the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA).
The parade, which involved an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 people, had set off from Bishop’s Field in the Creggan area of Londonderry, with plans to end at the Guildhall.
But when the march reached the city centre, those in charge decided to avoid Guildhall and instead walk to Free Derry Corner in Bogside as the route had been blocked by British Army barriers.
An armed soldier attacks a protestor on Bloody Sunday when British Paratroopers shot dead 13 civilians on a civil rights march in Londonderry
However, several demonstrators diverted from the main group at Rossville Street and continued to where a barricade had been erected on William Street to prevent approaches to Guildhall.
Those involved began throwing stones towards the soldiers at around 3.40pm, and the Regiment responded by firing plastic bullets, CS gas and spraying demonstrators with water cannons.
In the Saville Inquiry, which investigated the circumstances of Bloody Sunday, Lord Saville said soldiers from the Royal Green Jackets ‘acted with restraint in the face of the rioting at this barrier and deployed no more than properly proportionate force in seeking to deal with it’.
At around 3.55pm it is understood the crowd spotted paratroopers occupying a derelict three-story building overlooking William Street, and began throwing stones at the windows.
These soldiers then opened fire, with Damien Donaghy and John Johnston shot and wounded while standing on waste ground opposite the building.
Colonel Derek Wilford, commanding the Regiment, sent a message to Brigade Headquarters from his position near a church suggesting troops be sent through the barrier to arrest rioters.
A mural depicting those who lost their lives on Bloody Sunday in Rossville Street, Londonderry
A few minutes later, at 4.07pm, Brigadier Pat MacLellan gave orders for the Regiment to mount an arrest operation at William Street – known as Barrier 14 – but not to ‘chase people down the street.’
Colonel Wilford deployed one company through Barrier 14 as permitted, but also deployed a support company in vehicles from the nearby Barrier 12 on Little James Street.
Those from Barrier 12 travelled into Bogside and disembarked, which is when more rifle shots were fired.
Soldiers opened fire in the car park of the Rossville Flats, shooting teenager Jackie Duddy, 17, in the back as he ran with Father Edward Daly and wounding several others.
Six others were shot on Rossville Street, as other soldiers entered Glenfada Park North, where William McKinney, 26, and Jim Wray, 22, were fatally wounded.
Those in Glenfada Park North then went to its south-east entrance, from where they fired across to Rossville Street and killed Bernard McGuigan, 41, and fatally injured Patrick Doherty, 31.
Nearby, in Abbey Park, a British Army solider shot Gerard McKinney, 35. The shot passed through his body and hit Gerald Donaghey, 17.
In total, 26 unarmed civilians were shot by paratroopers during Bloody Sunday. Thirteen died on the day and another died of his injuries four months later.
At an inquest into the deaths, held in August 1973, coroner Hubert O’Neill, a retired British Army major, said: ‘This Sunday became known as Bloody Sunday and bloody it was. It was quite unnecessary.
‘It strikes me that the Army ran amok that day and shot without thinking what they were doing. They were shooting innocent people.
‘These people may have been taking part in a march that was banned but that does not justify the troops coming in and firing live rounds indiscriminately.
‘I would say without hesitation that it was sheer, unadulterated murder. It was murder.’
