Marcus Rashford played in Manchester United’s 0-0 draw at Arsenal on Saturday
The Duke of Cambridge has called for racist abuse aimed at getting footballers to quit, calling it “despicable”.
Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford became the youngest player to be subjected to racial abuse this weekend after a series of incidents.
Greater Manchester police opened an investigation into the abuse on Sunday.
And Write on TwitterPrince William, who is also the president of the football association, praised those who spoke out.
He said: “Racial abuse – whether on the field, in the stands or on social media – is despicable and needs to stop now.
“We all have a responsibility to create an environment in which such abuse will not be tolerated, and those who spread hatred and division will be held accountable for their actions. That responsibility extends to the platforms that host so much.” of this activity is now taking place.
“I recommend to all those players, supporters, clubs and organizations who continue to strongly demand and condemn this abuse.”
The abuse against Rashford on Saturday followed similar treatment by teammates Axel Tuanzebe and Anthony Martial.
“A number of these comments have been reported to us and we are working with those involved to provide assistance and we will investigate these crimes thoroughly.” said a statement by the Greater Manchester Police (GMP).
Rashford described the abuse as “humanity and social media at its worst”.
The 22-year-old, who was awarded the MBE for his work fighting child food poverty, received several racist messages on Instagram on Saturday.
They were sent to the English striker following United’s 0-0 draw against Arsenal.
“I am a black man and I live proudly every day that I am” he said on Twitter.
“No one or no comment is going to make me feel different. Sorry, if you’ve been looking for a strong reaction, you just won’t get it here.”
“I’m not sharing screenshots. It would be irresponsible to do so and, as you can imagine, there is nothing original in there.
“I have beautiful children of all colors who follow me and they don’t need to read it. Beautiful colors just to be celebrated.”
“Social media companies not vigilant enough” – Wright and Jenas respond after Rashford is exposed to racial abuse
GMP said they knew some Manchester United players were abused on social media between Wednesday and Saturday.
They added, “Nobody should be exposed to such abuse and it is deeply annoying not only to those who suffer from it but also to anyone who comes across this terrible language.
“These hateful words have no place in our society, online or otherwise.”
Facebook, which owns Instagram, also released a statement following Rashford’s abuse. It said, “We have taken action on this case by removing accounts and comments and are continuing to investigate.”
“Be nice and be a good person”
Karen Carney, who won 144 caps in England, deleted her Twitter account in January She questioned her comments as an expert following online abuse she received following a tweet from Leeds United.
BBC Radio 5’s 33-year-old live expert Carney said the abuse of sports personalities was “terrible and brutal”.
“If you weren’t going to tell someone in the face, don’t say it on social media and hide behind a platform,” Carney said. “It’s really annoying and we have to do something about it, especially if there is a pandemic. It’s very difficult right now.
“I just want to push people to be nice and good people. The people who get this bothers them and disturbs them.
“The people who post on social media would see Marcus Rashford and ask him for a photo. He’s a person and what I love about him is that he didn’t rise up to be.
“Any person who is abused when they say something back [online] You get the abuse ten times. We urge the government to do something about it because it’s beyond a joke. I am concerned about people’s mental health. “
Former Arsenal and England striker Ian Wright said on Game of the Day that authorities and social media outlets needed to do more to identify the perpetrators.
He said, “It seems like a fact, when a black player plays badly – or they think they did – they come with all the emojis and whatever. There are ways to catch people. They aren’t vigilant enough – nowhere near.
“It should be something they do hand in hand [authorities and social media sites]. But how much do they care deep inside? “
Former Tottenham, Newcastle and England midfielder Jermaine Jenas added: “The platforms, I need them to show me these people and to say that they are doing whatever they can to bring justice. For those who ask why we still take the knee, there you go. “
Former Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha believed that people on social media were “motivated” to post abuse because social media companies weren’t doing enough to stop it.
“When it happened to Axel Tuanzebe, you think it’s a big topic of conversation and nothing can happen again, but something always happens,” Onuoha said on BBC Radio 5 Live.
“Groups of people feel energized and can do it again and say what they want to say. We rely on technology giants to resolve a situation they have created themselves.
“Some people go on anonymously feeling like they can say anything to do with race or sexuality, and that’s totally unacceptable. How can you monitor a billion people on social media?”
“The things that are being said are a shame and I want change. A lot of people want change and we need change, but until that accountability is achieved, people feel motivated to say what they want.”
PFA demands that players be protected
Players Union The Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) says action should have been taken sooner.
“Players have repeatedly raised this issue in public and the abuse continues,” a PFA statement said. “While none of us have the power to eradicate racism from society, social media companies must do their part and remove it from their platforms – over which they are in control.”
“The networks have been given enough time to demonstrate their readiness to act. We have been in a crisis on this issue for two years. Racism causes trauma and online abuse poses a significant risk to people’s mental health and wellbeing.
“Last week we met with Cabinet Ministers to discuss discrimination in football with players who share firsthand experiences of racist abuse online.
“Following the meeting, the government has committed to introducing new online abuse laws and a fan-led review of football governance. While we welcome these moves, it can’t wait to find a way to keep players from persisting to protect against racist abuse. “
The football association had reaffirmed its commitment to curb discrimination of all kinds on the Saturday before.
“We are united with all of football because we abhor any racist abuse,” said an FA statement. “This is not acceptable in any part of society.
“We will continue to work with the rest of the game, the government and social media platforms to remove this – and all elements – of discrimination from our sport.”
On Friday Chelsea said they were “disgusted” Following the right-back, Reece James was subjected to racial abuse on social media.
On Saturday a Man was arrested after a racist message was sent to West Brom midfielder Romaine Sawyers.
Tuanzebe and Martial were racially abused on social media after Manchester United’s loss to Sheffield United on Wednesday.
The PFA statement added, “In the past five days we have seen another wave of disgusting racial abuse against black professional footballers.
“Axel Tuanzebe, Anthony Martial, Romain Sawyers, Reece James and Marcus Rashford shouldn’t have to endure being racially abused because some ‘fans’ don’t like the results of a football game. These players are at work and racial abuse should be . ” not be tolerated as part of a profession.
“We have made it very clear that social media platforms are an extension of the professional footballer’s workplace. Every effort must be made to protect you – and all other users – from racist abuse when using social media.”
“Offline consequences for online hate crimes must be pursued whenever possible.”
On Monday, The UK government held talks with current and former footballers on combating discrimination and abuse.
A spokesman for Facebook said on Friday: “There is no place for racism on Instagram and we are determined to remove it if we find it. We know there is more to be done and we will continue to work closely with clubs, players and football authorities work together. ” To investigate cases of discrimination and to address this problem together. “
Twitter said in a statement, “Racist behavior has no place in our service. If we identify accounts that violate any of Twitter’s rules, we take enforcement action.
“We have been proactive and continue to work with our valued partners in football to find ways to jointly address this issue and will continue to do our part to curb this unacceptable behavior – both online and offline.”
