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U.S. rep, British MP write op-ed against Redskins playing at Wembley

U.S. representative Betty McCollum and British MP Michael Dugher wrote a joint op-ed against the Redskins playing at Wembley Stadium because of their name.
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U.S. representative Betty McCollum and British MP Michael Dugher wrote a joint op-ed against the Washington Redskins playing at Wembley Stadium because of their name, reports The Hill.

McCollum, the representative for Minnesota’s fourth Congressional District, and Dugher, a member of the U.K. House of Commons and Labour Party, believe the Redskins’ presence at Wembley in October will diminish “a position of zero tolerance of racism” in Britain.

“The Washington team, whose name evokes decades of persecution and violence against Native American peoples and is defined as a racial slur in every major English dictionary, will compete in the 2016 NFL International Series,” the op-ed states. “This major sporting event will see the team’s disparaging and racist name widely publicized in the U.K., bringing with it the tensions and offense that we have labored tirelessly for years to remove from sport.”

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The duo goes on to ask for members of the British House of Commons and the United States House of Representatives “to speak out against this offensive and racist language” that they say “has no place” in either country.

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The Redskins are scheduled to play at Wembley during Week 8 of the 2016 season against the Cincinnati Bengals.