Marvin Bartley fears a footballer will commit suicide before governments and social media companies take the growing torrent of online abuse seriously.
The Livingston skipper has revealed that within the past fortnight he has been the target of a sickening Instagram message calling him a ‘n*****’ - but that the social media platform did not act on the racism.
He has also detailed his conversations with players who are struggling to cope with the mental torture of abuse, with one telling him in desperation: ‘I don’t know where I turn from here’.
Bartley is adamant something meaningful must be done before it is too late and there is a loss of life because of horrific personal slurs.
He has urged governments - who he says were quick to get involved in the European Super League fiasco and when players breached Covid-19 rules - to take the mounting issue seriously.
The 34-year-old laid bare his feelings on the mounting problem as Scottish football clubs, as well as Scottish Rugby, announced they will join a boycott of social media platforms in an effort to tackle online abuse and discrimination.
Backed by the Scottish FA, the SPFL and PFA Scotland, they will remain offline from 3pm today until 11.59 pm on Monday.
Bartley, who was last month took on the role of equality advisor with the SFA, fully supports the move but believes much more is needed.
“I am a massive fan of anything we think will make a difference,” he said. “It is good the football family has pulled together, not just clubs but sponsors and individual players are doing it.
“I think anyone can see that enough is enough - except maybe the powerful people in the social media companies.
“Football has a powerful voice in society. We are using that power for good. We know we have a key role but where that stops is we can’t force social media to stop people being abused on their platforms.
“It can be racial, about someone’s sexuality or religion, we just hope social media companies will take their blinkers off and come out and say they are against it as well. Their silence is deafening.”
Bartley admits criticism of his skills as a footballer are acceptable but insists too many in a mindless minority feel they can get away with spouting racial, homophobic or religious abuse without any recriminations.
And, unfortunately, the former Hibernian midfielder has plenty of personal experience to draw on.
“I have been racially abused a few times on social media,” he went on. “The most recent one was on the Livingston account and they took a screenshot of it and sent it to Instagram.
“But they said it wasn’t a violation of their code of conduct.
“I have been at the forefront of things with my job with the SFA and the Glen Kamara situation.
“I was actually expecting to be racially abused. How sad is that, that in 2021 this still happens. So, when the club sent me the shots I was prepared for it.
“I have spoken to boys down in England and in Scotland who have messaged me privately other things they and their family are trying to deal with. It’s hard.
“Do you know what’s going to happen? The government will come out and say, ‘this is shocking and something needs to change’ when someone takes their own life.
“That’s what it’s coming to.
“I spoke to a player ever so recently who was absolutely struggling with it all. Mentally, they were struggling already - and then they were abused.
“One was to do with their sexuality and one with their race and one of them actually said, ‘I don’t know where I turn from here’. How said is that?
“You’ve got a young individual who looks like they could do the worst thing and the most extreme thing, and take their own life because they don’t feel protected from it.
“That’s what’s going to happen [with someone] and people will come out and say, ‘what a wonderful person they were and we’re going to make a change now because this isn’t acceptable’.
“Why are we waiting for this to happen? Because it is coming.”
Asked to expand on the abuse he received, Bartley explained: “I was called a n*****, but it wasn’t in violation of their code of conduct. I have no idea how not, no idea.
“So, what is in violation when you racially abuse someone? Honestly, I can’t even put into words how angry it makes me.”
Bartley, who advocates a move to add ‘verification’ on all social media accounts, believes the lack of action is for fear of companies losing advertising revenue, but is convinced politicians should be doing more.
He said: “Now it’s time for the government to stand up for people, time for them to get their house in order and show that they’re against people being discriminated against, and that all forms of discrimination is unacceptable.
“But, at this moment in time, their silence is deafening, isn’t it? It’s sad and embarrassing.
“There has to be something. Doing anything is doing more than they’re doing at this moment in time. Do something, say something. But they’re doing nothing.
“But some things are more important than money and one thing that’s more important is life.
“People are going to start taking their own lives through this abuse.
“They can sit there and say they don’t think it’s coming, but it is coming. And when it does come I don’t want them coming out and saying we’re going to change things now because someone has taken their life.
“It shouldn’t have to come to that. Change it now, because they have the power to do so.”
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