Racism is a crime; let’s not pretend “it’s the culture.”
Last night’s climactic conclusion of the 2020 Euros saw the nations dreams shattered in 4K. The squad has performed extremely well, and despite massive criticism, Gareth Southgate has seen the Three Lions through right to the final. But following enormous amounts of racially charged abuse, the Metropolitan Police are now investigating the situation.
https://twitter.com/MetPoliceEvents/status/1414380936016318464
In an almost cinematic fashion, it all came down to penalties. Though both Kane and Maguire scored, the Euros was lost for another four years.
But with three men of colour missing their shots, the realisation of incoming racial abuse took hold. It was only a matter of time, and though cynical, it only takes one look at the Instagram comments of Saka or Rashford to understand that this is a very real problem.
The taking of the knee has repeatedly been booed throughout the Euros, and despite Pundits, players, and press attempting to educate people, it persisted. Now, both the FA and Metropolitan police have issued statements regarding the racial abuse of the England squad.
“We are aware of a number of offensive and racist social media comments being directed towards footballers following the Euro 2020 final.
“The abuse is totally unacceptable, it will not be tolerated, and it will be investigated,” reads the statement from the Metropolitan police.
The FA also released a statement on the issue:
— FA Spokesperson (@FAspokesperson) July 12, 2021
Boris Johnson has also released a statement despite having been called to address the issue for months. His now public condemnation borders on showmanship and appears to be more of an optics issue than a true slamming of these individuals.
“You’ve done NOTHING to stop or PREVENT this kind of behaviour, even putting an excuse of public servant in the role of Home Secretary. Now, your ineffectual squeaks from behind the door do nothing other than amplify feelings of disappointment and expectations of being let down,” comments Sonia on Twitter.
“Do something then! Words on your Twitter account don’t mean anything. We need action!”
