London, United Kingdom (CU)_ After Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford became the latest player to be racially abused, Britain’s Prince William called racial violence aimed at footballers despicable and said it must stop now. On Sunday, after the Professional Footballers’ Union charged social media firms of not being able to crack down on racist messages, William, who is the president of the Football Association, voiced out.
During the past week, Chelsea defender Reece James, West Brom’s Romaine Sawyers and Rashford’s team-mates Axel Tuanzebe and Anthony Martial have all encountered online racist violence. Following United’s 0-0 draw at Arsenal on Saturday, Rashford was then attacked, sparking a police investigation.
Following the issue, William took to Twitter to condemn the racial violence. He tweeted, “Racist abuse — whether on the pitch, in the stands, or on social media — is despicable and it must stop now. We all have a responsibility to create an environment where such abuse is not tolerated, and those who choose to spread hate and division are held accountable for their actions. That responsibility extends to the platforms where so much of this activity now takes place.”
The PFA called on social networks to prove that they were genuinely committed for two years to solving an issue that it claims has been at crisis point. The statement said, “Every effort must be taken to protect them (professional footballers), and all other users, from racist abuse while using social media. Offline consequences for online hate crimes must be pursued whenever possible”.
Greater Manchester Police said that numerous offensive remarks aimed at United players had been reported and the force will be seriously investigating these crimes thoroughly. A renowned activist against child food poverty, Rashford said the offensive comments showed humanity and social media at its worst. He tweeted, “I’m a black man and I live every day proud that I am. “No one, or no one comment, is going to make me feel any different. So sorry if you were looking for a strong reaction, you’re just simply not going to get it here”.
