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Football chiefs demand Twitter, Facebook tackle ‘havens of abuse’

By AFP
11 February 2021   |   6:13 pm
Football chiefs in England have written to the bosses of Twitter and Facebook calling for action to tackle "havens of abuse" after a spate of online racist incidents.

A picture shows the No Room For Racism badge on a players jersey during the English Premier League football match between Fulham and West Ham United at Craven Cottage in London on February 6, 2021. (Photo by Justin Setterfield / POOL / AFP)

Football chiefs in England have written to the bosses of Twitter and Facebook calling for action to tackle “havens of abuse” after a spate of online racist incidents.

An open letter to the platforms’ chief executives Jack Dorsey and Mark Zuckerberg asks them “for reasons of basic human decency” to address the stubborn problem.

A number of players including Manchester United trio Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Axel Tuanzebe, as well as Chelsea full-back Reece James, have been targeted on social media in recent weeks.

“The language used is debasing, often threatening and illegal,” said the letter. “It causes distress to the recipients and the vast majority of people who abhor racism, sexism and discrimination of any kind.

Referee Andre Marriner (L) takes the knee in support of the No Room For Racism campaign during the English Premier League football match between Leeds United and Crystal Palace at Elland Road in Leeds, northern England on February 8, 2021. (Photo by Tim Keeton / POOL / AFP)


“We have had many meetings with your executives over the years but the reality is your platforms remain havens for abuse.”

Signatories include Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham, Premier League CEO Richard Masters and referees chief Mike Riley.

“Your inaction has created the belief in the minds of the anonymous perpetrators that they are beyond reach,” they said.

The letter calls on the platforms to put in place mechanisms to filter or block posts with racist or discriminatory content, take down offending material and ensure an improved verification process to identify account holders.

Instagram, owned by Facebook, announced new measures to tackle online abuse on Wednesday, saying it would remove accounts being used to send abusive messages.

The letter from football chiefs acknowledged the steps being taken but said: “far more is needed to drive change”.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said tech giants could face hefty fines under the new legislation.

“We’re introducing a new age of accountability for these (social media) companies through our upcoming Online Safety Bill and this could see huge fines for firms which fail to clearly and transparently protect their users,” he said.

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