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      Premier League social media blackout set to be agreed as clubs unite in powerful anti-racism message

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      PREMIER LEAGUE clubs are set to agree a social media boycott, according to reports.Top-flight teams want to send a message that racism will not be tolerated and will launch a war against online hate.
      Premier League clubs are considering boycotting social media between May 1 and May 3Credit: Getty
      According to Daily Mail, teams are planning to go silent on social media for 24 hours either side of their game on the ‘Weekend of Action’ between May 1-3.
      And the report adds that the Premier League will also boycott social media for the duration of the round of fixtures.
      Clubs have been asked to confirm their support for the plans by 2pm on Monday 19 April, the report states.
      The move is a bid to ramp up pressure on social platforms to act against online hate and abuse after a spate of recent incidents.
      It comes after Swansea ditched social media for a week in a self-imposed seven-day exile.
      Rangers also followed suit in Scotland with a boycott of their own.
      Thierry Henry last month told SunSport’s Troy Deeney why he quit social media.
      The Arsenal legend shut down his accounts to take a stand against online abuse.
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds
      Clubs want to send a message that hate will not be toleratedCredit: Getty
      Henry explained: “Even if you have two million comments that are great, if you have one or two or three that aren’t, it has an impact on you.
      “I’m a man, I’m 43, but I’m still trying to figure out what kind of person I can be.
      “So just imagine when you are a kid and what it can do to your mental health.
      “The sheer pressure of not being on Instagram or Twitter or whatever is second to none for kids.
      “I’m always going to fight for my community and my sport. Being black and in football, I’ve seen too many people suffer.
      “But let’s not forget about the rest. That’s why I mentioned bullying and harassment and the impact it can have on you mentally.

      “People go to the extent of committing suicide. Not only black people are getting abuse on social media, not only football players.”
      The France legend added: “There is freedom of speech. But you can’t shout whatever you want in an airport, a cinema, a police station. This is my point: accountability.
      “Wilfried Zaha got abused and we find out after that the kid is 12 years old. How do you have an account? How can we not know who you are behind that account?”
      Thierry Henry explains his decision to quit social media More

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      Premier League clubs set to join forces to boycott social media in stand against vile racists after spate of incidents

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      PREMIER LEAGUE clubs are considering joining forces to boycott social media.Top-flight teams want to send a message that racism will not be tolerated and a blanket boycott is one way to do so.
      Premier League clubs are considering joining forces to take a stand against online abuseCredit: Reuters
      According to Daily Mail, teams could unite to stay away from platforms such as Instagram and Twitter for an entire round of fixtures.
      The report adds that the idea of a Friday 5pm to Monday 9am social media hiatus has been discussed.
      And such a move would ramp up pressure on social platforms to act against online hate and abuse after a spate of recent incidents.
      One potential hurdle for such a blanket boycott is the commercial deals and agreements that clubs have to promote on their social channels.
      It comes after Swansea ditched social media for a week in a self-imposed seven-day exile.
      Rangers also followed suit in Scotland with a boycott of their own.
      Thierry Henry last month told SunSport’s Troy Deeney why he quit social media.
      The Arsenal legend shut down his accounts to take a stand against online abuse.
      Clubs are pondering a potential boycott social media for an entire round of fixturesCredit: Getty
      Henry explained: “Even if you have two million comments that are great, if you have one or two or three that aren’t, it has an impact on you.
      “I’m a man, I’m 43, but I’m still trying to figure out what kind of person I can be.
      “So just imagine when you are a kid and what it can do to your mental health.
      “The sheer pressure of not being on Instagram or Twitter or whatever is second to none for kids.
      “I’m always going to fight for my community and my sport. Being black and in football, I’ve seen too many people suffer.
      “But let’s not forget about the rest. That’s why I mentioned bullying and harassment and the impact it can have on you mentally.

      “People go to the extent of committing suicide. Not only black people are getting abuse on social media, not only football players.”
      The France legend added: “There is freedom of speech. But you can’t shout whatever you want in an airport, a cinema, a police station. This is my point: accountability.
      “Wilfried Zaha got abused and we find out after that the kid is 12 years old. How do you have an account? How can we not know who you are behind that account?”
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      Karren Brady: Like other sufferers, I cannot believe social networks are unable to take measures to identify abusers

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      ABUSE from the crowd, chanted or shouted, is bad enough but on social media, it is worse. It rankles for longer.I have experience of both, and on the street, too, but in cold print even if it comes from some weirdo with nothing better to do, it also tends to stick.
      Karren Brady has galled on social media giants to do more to stop racismCredit: PR Handout – Free to use
      Mark Zuckerberg has attracted criticism for not doing enough to stop online abuseCredit: The Mega Agency
      For a black man, racial abuse does more. It stains.
      Like other sufferers, I cannot believe Facebook, Instagram, ­Twitter and other social networks are unable to take measures to identify culprits or delete their filth.
      Speak up Nick Clegg, a two-faced politician who graduated to many-faced vice-president of global affairs for Facebook.
      Neither Clegg nor his employer, Mark Zuckerberg, hold out much hope of netting obscenity before it is published.
      And if they act with urgency it will be because, Clegg points out: “Advertisers don’t want their brands and products displayed next to extreme or hateful content — a point that many made explicitly last summer during a high-profile boycott by a number of household-name brands.”
      So there we have it. Never mind the targets of racial abuse, vulnerable and very angry, it’s big advertisers like Disney that really matter.
      But let’s get back to the former Deputy Prime Minister mentioning a boycott last summer.
      It was run by StopHateForProfit for the whole of July and it was estimated it cost Facebook and Instagram, also owned by Zuckerberg, about £23million.
      This is a fiddling sum compared with damages of about £500m ordered by an Illinois court for ‘photo tagging’, a jazzed-up phrase for using facial recognition software.
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      Thierry Henry has called for social media to do more to stop racists

      Even so, such losses are no more than damage on a car bumper to Zuckerberg whose companies earned over £50bn in the last year.
      Hate speech is no more than a troublesome ailment to the social networks.
      But not to us, and I can only assume that lawyers in many countries are assessing whether damages could be won for victims.
      It could be a short-cut to these networks taking significant action.
      Black and ethnic minority footballers are easy targets and so far are victims without serious redress.
      Football is at the apex of victimisation because it is incomparably popular in this country.
      Everybody knows Manchester United and I’d guess a huge number know Marcus Rashford’s name.
      He has been racially abused and says: “I’m a black man and I live every day proud I am.”
      Thierry Henry takes a different tack. He no longer uses social media.
      Arsenal launched a campaign  StopOnlineAbuse to add to ‘Black Lives Matter’ and others aligned with kicking out racism.
      Hnery has quit Twitter until it become a ‘safer place’
      Yet I can’t help thinking they are diffusing the message and prompting insane rage in people of limited conscience.
      Henry’s reaction seems the most effective, for the time being. Companies who claim they are doing everything in their power to prevent racist abuse just aren’t.
      If Zuckerberg, Clegg and their peers spent as much time and money editing out foul abuse as they do in chasing more users, then the debasing of their output would soon be under control.
      Theorists say that improved equality education at school and beyond would eradicate abuse.
      Certainly it would help but we all know that murder and rape is wrong and yet human nature has a disturbed side and racial hatred should be added to the list.
      Social media action is vital but weeding out culprits, big fines and jail must have a part to play.
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds
      Thierry Henry breaks silence after quitting Twitter as he tells Good Morning Britain ‘I will be back on it when it’s safer’ More

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      Man Utd star Anthony Martial subjected to vile racist abuse after West Brom draw.. the latest incident in worrying trend

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      ANTHONY MARTIAL has once again been targeted by racist trolls following Manchester United’s draw with West Brom.
      The France striker – along with club team-mate Axel Tuanzebe – were both on the receiving end of horrific abuse following the loss at the hands of Sheffield Utd on January 27.

      Anthony Martial has been targeted by vile racists following Man Utd’s 1-1 draw with West BromCredit: AFP

      And Martial was subjected to yet more disgraceful taunts on social media after the West Brom game, despite social media vowing to clamp down on racists.
      Martial, 25, started the game at The Hawthorns, but was replaced by Mason Greenwood after 66 minutes of the 1-1 stalemate.
      Immediately after the match, the United star was subjected to racist abuse on Instagram just days after their vow to crack down on vile trolls.
      Sick racists posted horrifying messages to various posts on his Instagram page, including the use of abusive emojis and the N-word.

      It is just the latest incident in a string of worrying racist attacks aimed at players.
      Tuanzebe and Martial were abused after the loss against Sheff Utd.
      Team-mate Marcus Rashford was targeted after the 0-0 draw with Arsenal.
      Southampton teenager Alex Jankewitz was also among the many footballers to be attacked in recent weeks.

      Martial and team-mate Axel Tuanzebe were trolled by sick racists following last month’s loss to Sheff UtdCredit: PA:Press Association

      Chelsea pair Reece James and Antonio Rudiger were both sent racist abuse, as well as James’ sister and Red Devils star Lauren.
      West Brom’s Romaine Sawyers was also on the receiving end of some abhorrent abuse last month – with a man arrested.
      Swansea and Manchester City said they were ‘appalled’ and ‘saddened’ as police opened an investigation into racist abuse sent to Yan Dhanda earlier this week.
      Instagram admitted their systems have struggled to block many of the abusive posts because they do not routinely screen direct messages as they are supposed to be private.
      But the company – owned by Facebook – have vowed to act more quickly in banning those behind the racist messages.
      They have also promised to work with police as much as possible to prosecute the abusers.
      Instagram has vowed to make it easier for users to use settings to block terms or emojis from reaching them.
      They also say it is working on a new feature – planned for roll-out later this year – which will improve the ability to stop abusive DMs reaching them.

      Solskjer reacts to Man Utd’s dismal draw with West Brom More

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      Facebook owner Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter chief Jack Dorsey called out by football chiefs to end abuse on social media

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      ENGLISH football has united to demand social media giants stop talking and start acting to root out online abuse.
      In a direct and no punches pulled message to Twitter chief Jack Dorsey and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, representatives of all areas of the game came together in an open letter to tell the companies that ‘basic human decency’ required intervention.

      Football chiefs have penned a joint letter to social media giants including Facebook’s Mark ZuckerbergCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      Twitter boss Jack Dorsey is the other recipient of the letterCredit: Reuters

      Recent weeks have seen players including Anthony Martial, Axel Tuanzebe, Reece James, Romaine Sawyers and Lauren James subjected to vile racist abuse.
      And referee Mike Dean will not work this weekend following online death threats posted to his family.
      The damning letter was signed by FA chief Mark Bullingham, Prem boss Richard Masters, Gordon Taylor, EFL chief exec Trevor Birch, womens’ game leader Kelly Simmons, the LMA’s Richard Bevan, Mike Riley and Sanjay Bhandari of Kick It Out.
      It said: “The language used is debasing, often threatening and illegal.

      “It causes distress to the recipients and the vast majority of people who abhor racism, sexism and discrimination of any kind.
      “We have had many meetings with your executives over the years but the reality is your platforms remain havens for abuse.
      “Your inaction has created the belief in the minds of the anonymous perpetrators that they are beyond reach.”
      Players are understood to be considering a boycott of Twitter, Facebook and Instagram as a sign of their growing anger and indignation.

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      And Edleen John, the FA director in charge of equality, diversity and inclusion, explained: “The companies must be able to create an algorithm which filters and blocks this abuse.
      “There must also be a swift takedown of anything they see that could be abusive or deemed abusive.
      “Users need to be verified. We have keyboard warriors sitting at home, typing whatever they want, and nobody is able to trace them or where they are.
      “I don’t believe these social media companies are unable to do that. If there is anybody who can find that information, it’s going to be a massive tech company.
      “We’ve been talking for 18 months. It seems there isn’t that impetus or momentum in the social media companies to address this.
      “It shouldn’t take 18 months to build an algorithm for them to be able to stop some of the stuff that’s happening.”
      ‘THEY’RE NOT READY TO MAKE THAT CHANGE’
      Twitter and Facebook both responded by insisting they were taking the issue seriously, in the wake of Government threats to levy fines of 10 per cent of their global earnings if the abuse continued.
      A Twitter spokesperson said: “There is no room for racist abuse on Twitter and we are resolute in our commitment to ensure the football conversation on our service is safe for fans, players and everyone involved in the game.
      “We strongly condemn this behaviour and will continue to take swift action on the minority that try to undermine the conversation for the majority.”
      Facebook added: “We don’t want hate and racism on our platforms and remove it when we find it.”
      But John added: “The discussions are always around ‘well, you know, we can’t look at things like emojis, because you have to think of context’.
      “If you are talking about a black person receiving a banana or a monkey, I’m not sure any further context or explanation is needed.
      “And if you can build a robot to vacuum your house you must be able to create an AI mechanism that can see words, emojis and pictures and filter them.
      “The only conclusion you can draw is they’re not ready to make that change and they don’t want to because they are more interested in driving people to the platforms.”
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds

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      Ian Wright’s racist abuser should have been JAILED – we will get nowhere by pussyfooting around despicable insults

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      TEENAGER Patrick O’Brien was so upset at losing a Fifa video game, he sent Ian Wright 20 racist messages on Instagram.
      Wright recoiled. O’Brien later asked his forgiveness. Well he would, wouldn’t he?

      Ian Wright’s racist abuser has dodged jail after a court hearing in IrelandCredit: PA:Press Association

      His solicitor in Tralee District Court said he was a good boy in school. Well, he would, too, wouldn’t he?
      He pleaded that the judge should put him on probation. Which he did, didn’t he?
      Wright, an outstanding commentator and wonderful footballer, speaks more common sense than a dozen of those judges and solicitors.
      He said he accepts O’Brien’s apologies but that didn’t alter the fact that he was disappointed his abuser has hardly been inconvenienced by his punishment.

      I’ll say it for Wright. O’Brien should have been jailed.
      The judge had an opportunity to set a deterrent and a precedent, but instead brushed this vileness aside as if it meant nothing.
      And so, the abuse continues.
      In our most depressing week in football Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford, Axel Tuanzebe and Anthony Martial were all targeted, as was Southampton midfielder Alex Jankewitz.

      Humanity and social media at its worst. Yes 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 👊🏾
      — Marcus Rashford MBE (@MarcusRashford) January 30, 2021

      Rashford described the abuse as “humanity and social media at its worst”.
      And I can assure you whatever you have read, it will only be the tip of the iceberg of what these young men, and many others, are being subjected to.
      Two things become clear to me. First, we will get nowhere by pussyfooting around racism.
      It is dehumanising, humiliating and cowardly and must be treated as a most serious crime, ranked alongside assault at least.
      Wright said: “An individual wished death on me because of my skin colour.
      “No judge’s claims of ‘naivety’ or ‘immaturity’ will be acceptable to us.”

      I advise social media companies to set about catching everyone or, better, forcing people to identify themselves to send messages.

      Second, it is time the Government got tough with online social media companies, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and the rest, to ensure they act responsibly.
      Twitter, which has more than 330 million users and is valued at more than £30billion, takes no liability for comments made on its platform.
      They insist they are just “enabling communications” rather than publishing content — a crucial distinction which means they are not liable for trolling or abuse.
      Tell that to anyone, myself included, who has been on the wrong end of violent abuse, threats of rape or murder, or racism.
      If you report someone on Twitter their account may be blocked. But the troll simply sets up another account, in another name with another email address, and the abuse continues.
      So, I advise social media companies that instead of making noises about independence of views and the difficulties in rooting out these creatures, you should set about catching everyone or, better, forcing people to identify themselves when they send messages.
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      On the basis they think they can hide anonymously behind their keyboards, making it easy to identify them so they can be held responsible for their words will have the biggest deterrent of all.
      As for the abusers themselves, you are despicable.
      All 20 Premier League clubs have united and we are determined to make eliminating you, and your abuse, a priority.

      Rio Ferdinand calls on government and social media to do more to combat ‘disgusting’ racism aimed at players More

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      Premier League, FA and football authorities hold first serious all-party meeting to combat wave of vile online abuse

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      FOOTBALL authorities have held their first serious all-party meeting with social media giants to combat online hate as Anton Ferdinand demanded they be held to account.
      Anti-racism leaders Kick It Out convened the gathering of the game’s senior organisations.

      Kick It Out chairman Sanjay Bhandari has described the ‘culture of impunity’ behind online hateCredit: PA:Press Association

      Former Premier League defender Anton Ferdinand addressed today’s meetingCredit: PA:Press Association

      Facebook and Twitter were invited to the talk alongside the Premier League, PFA, FA, EFL and LMA.
      Former West Ham defender Ferdinand told the meeting: “As footballers we are held accountable for our actions all the time – why aren’t the people that are sending abuse, and the social media platforms, held to account too?
      “I had no escape from being racially abused, whether that was on the streets or social media.
      “The ripple effect the abuse had on me and my family, I wouldn’t want anyone else to experience that.”

      The social media companies agreed to take steps to ensure a zero tolerance policy on online hate and abuse.
      As part of a set of “common principles” the parties confirmed that “discrimination, hate and abuse towards those who play, support or work in the game is totally unacceptable”.
      That includes “real-world consequences” for those who use online platforms to spread abuse with the determination to make perpetrators be “accountable for their actions”.
      Outside bodies involved were UK Football Policing Unit, Women in Football, Crown Prosecution Service, Home Office and Sky, with further meetings to be held every two months.

      Online discriminatory abuse is unacceptable and tackling this issue must be a priority for football and social media companies.
      Richard MastersPremier League Chief Exec

      Kick it Out chairman Sanjay Bhandari said: “Online hate thrives because there is a culture of impunity.
      “People feel free to say what they want because they are confident there will be no consequences. That must change.”
      Prem chief executive Richard Masters added: “Online discriminatory abuse is unacceptable and tackling this issue must be a priority for football and social media companies.
      “Sadly, there are too many instances of footballers and their families receiving horrific discriminatory messages and nobody should have to deal with this.
      “The Premier League welcomes this initiative as a means of persuading social media companies to remove offensive material swiftly and help the Premier League and law enforcement bodies identify perpetrators.”
      Twitter and Facebook appear to recognise their responsibilities.

      Between June and September last year were able to find 95% of the hate speech content and removed it before anyone reported it.
      Jerry NewmanFacebook

      Facebook’s Jerry Newman said: “We don’t want racism or any type of hate speech on Facebook or Instagram.
      “Over the last few years, we’ve tripled the size of our safety and security team and between June and September last year were able to find 95 per cent of the hate speech content and removed it before anyone reported it. We won’t stop there.”
      Katy Minshall of Twitter added: “Racist behaviour has no place on Twitter and we strongly condemn it.
      “We continue to collaborate closely with our partners in football to identify ways to tackle this issue collectively.”

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