Paris, 30 April 2021 (AFP) – Blackout on social media. English sports lead to a global boycott, followed by big stars, clubs and federations over the weekend to protest online insults, especially racist curses.
Manchester United, seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton, but the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and even UEFA: The game movement came into action on Friday, following warnings in recent weeks.
Player injuries have multiplied by 4.5 on social media since September 2019, Manchester United reported on Friday, whose players Anthony Marshall and Marcus Rashford were victims of these racist insults.
The Red Devils are not going to feed their Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as a protest this weekend.
United recently cleared six fans, including three partners, for insulting Tottenham’s South Korean striker Son Heung-min on social media.
The club will not be the only one to disconnect. The English Premier League said on Friday, “As of this afternoon (11 am, Brasilia time), we will stop feeding our social networks and remain silent until Tuesday, May 4.”
“We have taken this position to combat online injuries and discrimination on social networks, along with football.”
“Online humiliation must stop. Social media must speak. #NoRoomForRacism (there is no place for racism) #StopOnlineAbuse (prevent online abuse),” wrote the Premier League on Twitter
Prince Elizabeth II, who came second as Honorary President of the Queen Elizabeth II and the English Football Federation (FA), has joined the “entire football community” in boycotting social media and not using social media this weekend do.
– Global Movement – Other British organizations, such as the Rugby and Cycling Federation, as well as the English and Welsh Cricket Federation, joined the movement.
In France, the French Rugby Federation (FFR) announced its membership on Friday “to respond to a call for a boycott of social networks aimed at raising awareness and condemning the scourge of racism, oppression and discrimination on the Internet. Club Football Player.
Many Formula 1 drivers will also follow the boycott, led by Hamilton, the only black driver in the history of the category and committed to the fight against racism.
“As a display of solidarity with the football world, my social networks will turn black this weekend. Discrimination, online or not, has no place in society. For a long time, for some, posting hateful messages behind them It has been easy to do. Screen. “, Wrote F1 Star on her social network.
Two Hamilton compatriots in the paddock, Lando Norris and George Russell, announced the same decision on Friday, such as Finn Valtteri Bottas, Dutchman Max Verstappen, Monagasc Charles Lechler and Frenchman Esteban Ocon.
– Pressure against Facebook and Twitter – F1 expressed its support for the movement on Thursday, but insisted it would not participate. Other international institutions participate in the action.
Among them is the International Tennis Federation (ITF), which has given responsibility for the platforms.
“On social media, it is time for leading social media companies to spearhead insults everywhere and to lead the sport’s efforts to stop the game,” the ITF said in a statement.
On Thursday, UEFA also spoke through its president, Slovenian Alexander Seferin, who emphasized “a culture of hatred that can grow into hatred”.
On 11 February, in an open letter to Twitter chief Jack Dorsey and Facebook owner Mark Zuckerberg, UK football officials asked him to act “out of ordinary human decency”.
Twitter responded that it had no intention of stopping comments from anonymous accounts.
Calls for players to temporarily withdraw from ‘social media’ have increased manifold in recent weeks. Arsenal legend Thierry Henry announced in late March that they were leaving the network until the platforms did more to combat racism and oppression.
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