Is the PM finally taking action?
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced that online racists will now be banned from attending football matches. This comes after immense criticism from his own MP’s, the Labour party, and the general public, reports the Independent.
"Nobody defends booing of the England side" – says a Boris Johnson who refused to condemn the booing of the England side #PMQs
— Kevin Maguire (@Kevin_Maguire) July 14, 2021
“You will not be going to the match – no ifs, no buts,” the PM said in the House of Commons.
This comes after he defended Home secretary Priti Patel for defending fans’ right to boo taking the knee. “She’s got this wrong, the whole county knows that, his own MPs know it,” said an angry Kier Starmer.
“There’s no point pretending that these things weren’t said,” Starmer continued
“The England footballer Tyrone Mings, he said this labelling anti-racism messages as gesture politics served to stoke the fire of racism and hatred
Boris Johnson didn’t summon social media firms to Downing St yesterday to discuss racism. It was a pre-arranged garden party where he had a side conversation about the topic for a few mins.
All talk, no action.#PMQs
— Dr Rosena Allin-Khan (@DrRosena) July 14, 2021
“Prime minister, they’re powerful words from someone who has himself been subjected to racist abuse. He’s right, isn’t he?”
Most notably by Tyrone Mings, the government has been accused of “stoking” the fires of racism. However, Johnson rebuked this claim, saying: “I don’t want to engage in a political culture war of any kind.”
The PM has also reiterated that the legislation, despite facing huge delays, will fine tech giants for failing to remove illegal and harmful content. The fines are believed to be worth up to 10 per cent of their annual global turnover.
