QPR 1st & LSA response to club!

If things had not been bad enough lately with on the field matters, we then get the news that R’s chairman Gianni Paladini has threatened to take legal action with established QPR fanzine – AKUTR’s (A Kick Up the R’s)over a recent article that was written about the club and Mr Paladini.

It has been alleged that the QPR fanzine article was according to Paladini ‘deeply misleading,inaccurate and scandalous’ and recently threatened to take legal action.

Statements have now been issued from two supporters groups.

QPR1st – September 27th Statement – AKUTR’s and The Club


‘QPR1st supports the right of supporters to express their views in a variety of ways including fanzines and message boards.
We acknowledge that the Club also has the right to challenge what it considers to be unfair or inaccurate comments in fanzines through the official site, the programme, fans forums or by requesting a ‘right to reply’ within the fanzines themeselves.
Nevertheless fanzines have limited resources with which to defend themselves against legal action and therefore ‘threats to sue’ can be perceived as an act of intimidation. We would urge the Club to withdraw such threats and to seek to redress what they regard as a wrong through other less confrontational means. The Trust would be happy to act as a mediator between the Club and AKUTRs in the belief that QPR is at its strongest when it is united’




LSA SECRETARY’S STATEMENT – September 29, 2006


The LSA offers wholehearted support for Dave Thomas and AKUTR’s right to freedom of speech. We deplore the actions of the club in taking legal action which could kill off one of the most respected fanzines in England.
AKUTR’s has played a crucial role in keeping our club alive in difficult times and we would be poorer without it.
We agree that a right of reply should be given to the club to answer the points raised in the last issue. We would be happy to play a role in ensuring that these matters are dealt with without recourse to legal action against one of the most respected supporters of our beloved club.
However if the club pursues with legal action against Dave we will offer wholehearted support in any manner we deem fit, including publishing material and raising a financial fighting fund to defend AKUTR’s in court.
JOHN REID
SECRETARY
LSA