Burnley fan responsible for 'White Lives Matter' banner loses job

A Burnley fan responsible for the "White Lives Matter Burnley" banner flown above the Etihad Stadium on Monday has been fired from his job.

Jake Hepple, 24, was dismissed from Lancashire-based manufacturing firm Paradigm Precision on Wednesday, according to BBC Sport.

Hepple's former employer claims he "breached the company's various policies and procedures."

The company added that it "does not condone or tolerate racism in any form" and is "fully committed to diversity and inclusion."

A plane towing the banner appeared shortly after Burnley and Manchester City players took a knee prior to kickoff at Monday's match in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

"I stand by this banner and what it says 100%. I'm not sorry at all and I'm not ashamed of what I've done," Hepple said, according to the Guardian's Ben Quinn.

Hepple insists he's not a racist, adding, "I know people are trying to make (me) out to be one, but I'm not. I've got lots of Black and Asian friends and this banner was actually inspired by the Black Lives (Matter) movement."

He continued: "We were not trying to offend the movement or Black people. I believe that it's also important to acknowledge that white lives matter, too. That's all we were trying to say."

Hepple also claims 60 people contributed toward the £600 cost of the banner and hiring the plane.

Burnley released a statement at halftime of Monday's affair that condemned the actions and issued a lifetime ban for those responsible.

"This, in no way, represents what Burnley Football Club stands for and we will work fully with the authorities to identify those responsible and issue lifetime bans," the statement read.

Clarets captain Ben Mee said he was "ashamed" and "embarrassed" by the banner. Chairman Mike Garlick echoed those sentiments the following day while pledging to "root out these racists."

Lancashire Police dropped their investigation of the incident, claiming "there are no criminal offenses that have been disclosed at this time."

Hepple claims he was visited by police Tuesday, who told him he had not committed a crime while offering him protection in the event of a targeted attack.

Hepple's girlfriend, Megan Rambadt, was also dismissed from her job at a foot care and reflexology clinic for "publicly posting and tweeting comments of an abhorrently racist nature."