Over the course of a fortnight in representing Rangers player Glen Kamara, I have watched as my social media in-tray filled rapidly with racist bile from so-called football fans.
As a campaigning lawyer, I have tried to accept that such abuse will always be part of my working life, but it can be a terrifying and lonely place to be, when one tries to switch off from work to spend time with loved ones, to see such hate pop up on your phone.
However, the pandemic closing the football stadiums to fans, has exposed the horrifying cesspit of racism that exists on social media platforms. Many black players have had enough of the failure of social media to take action, which seems much more at ease with immediate action over copyright infringements than they do in banning bigots from their platforms.
In recent days the calls for action by Glen has seen momentum starting to build, with black players, the Scottish Football Association and clubs like Manchester United, Liverpool, Rangers demanding robust sanctions to be taken by social media.
We are yet to see whether the likes of Instagram will take note, but if they fail to act then the big clubs could simply carry out their threat of boycott, that I suspect might see some real change take place.
READ MORE: Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara receiving online racist abuse ‘every day’
The laws for online hate crime, of course, are far too outdated, so maybe the time has come for wealthy social media companies to face severe financial penalties for repeat failures. It seems incredibly outdated that the newspaper industry can face robust sanctions for behaviour that is considered untouchable on social media which can reach thousands if not millions in seconds.
As for UEFA, they stand accused of failing to take the issue of racism seriously with ridiculously low fines and bans that have little impact at all. For many black players taking the knee, campaigns on kick racism out of football are now seen as tokenistic gestures imposed by institutionally racist footballing bodies. UEFA appears more than willing to dish out fines for ‘illicit banners’, but when it comes to tackling the racism of players and clubs, finding a spine causes it much difficulty.
There is no doubting UEFA’s fine words on paper, but the case of Glen Kamara and Slavia Prague’s Kudela is being watched closely to see if black lives actually matter. Glen’s story has resonated with so many black players because the corrosive impact of racism means no matter how hard you have fought to get to the top, one person will try to pull you back down into the gutter with them.
Glen has been reminded once more of the daily racism he faced as a young boy, after his family moved to Europe as refugees from Sierra Leone. This time however the racist abuse alleged did not happen on a school playground or on the way to the shops which he faced on a daily basis as a young frightened child, but on the international stage with his proud mother watching.
A mother who had worked night and day for her son’s dreams to come true, watched her son being humiliated once again and now facing disciplinary sanctions himself.
Even away from the stadium, the hate, the voice recordings of abuse did not stop, as the words of his alleged abuser ‘Fu***** monkey’ and other abhorrent abuse were sent to him repeatedly. The most grotesque display was Slavia Prague fans with a banner stating Kamara is a N****r.
Enough is really enough. Glen has said he isn’t asking for much, justice and fair treatment from UEFA, that is the very least he is entitled to, let’s see how they respond.
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