Discussion

• @borisjohnson Boris Johnson on x

  This England team deserve to be lauded as heroes, not racially abused on social media. Those responsible for this appalling abuse should be ashamed of themselves.

• @metpoliceevents @metpoliceevents on x

  We are aware of a number of offensive and racist social media comments being directed towards footballers following the #Euro2020 final. This abuse is totally unacceptable, it will not be tolerated and it will be investigated.

• @ruskin147 Rory Cellan-Jones on x

  New - IT trade body BCS calls on social media firms to verify users' ID after racist abuse of England footballers. “IT experts think these platforms should ask people to verify their real ID behind account handles;” but says public anonymity should be preserved

• @pritipatel Priti Patel on x

  I am disgusted that @England players who have given so much for our country this summer have been subject to vile racist abuse on social media. It has no place in our country and I back the police to hold those responsible accountable.

• @oliverdowden Oliver Dowden on x

  I share the anger at appalling racist abuse of our heroic players. Social media companies need to up their game in addressing it and, if they fail to, our new Online Safety Bill will hold them to account with fines of up to 10 per cent of global revenue.

• @faspokesperson FA Spokesperson on x

  https://twitter.com/...

• @anacabrera Ana Cabrera on x

  Twitter tells CNN it has removed more than 1,000 Tweets and “permanently suspended a number of accounts” following the online abuse racist abuse directed at some England players following Sunday's Euro 2020 final defeat.

• @england @england on x

  We're disgusted that some of our squad - who have given everything for the shirt this summer - have been subjected to discriminatory abuse online after tonight's game. We stand with our players ❤️ https://twitter.com/...

• @sadiqkhan Sadiq Khan on x

  There is absolutely no place for racism in football or anywhere else. Those responsible for the disgusting online abuse we have seen must be held accountable - and social media companies need to act immediately to remove and prevent this hate.

• @ayocaesar Ash Sarkar on x

  Bang on from @GNev2. High-ranking politicians, including the Prime Minister, gave the nod to fans booing players for taking a stand against racism. They cannot turn around and act surprised by what's been unleashed now: they facilitated it! https://twitter.com/...

• @edent Terence Eden on x

  I'm a @bcs member and don't recall being consulted on this weird proposal. https://twitter.com/...

• @paperghost Chris Boyd on x

  ok but *which* experts because pretty much everyone i know who on here who does tech in some capacity runs screaming for the hills every time this idea comes up https://twitter.com/...

• @footballmuseum @footballmuseum on x

  👊 An England that took a stance against racism. 🏳️‍🌈 An England that showed support to the LGBT+ community. ⚽ An England that took us to our first ever final in fifteen European Championships. ❤️ This is our England, and we couldn't be more proud. https://twitter.com/...

• @marklandler Mark Landler on x

  England's team inspired a nation. But on the morning after its heartbreaking defeat, ugly reminders that not everybody glories in the diversity this young team represents. https://www.nytimes.com/...

• @mikarv Michael Veale on x

  does the BCS present evidence that the lack of identifiability of these accounts is the block to prosecution? i) social media companies make their entire business from constructing identities across devices ii) uk law enforcement have huge powers to identify people from metadata …

• @mayoroflondon @mayoroflondon on x

  Racist abuse of any kind is abhorrent and will not be tolerated on or off the pitch. @MetPoliceUK will investigate the appalling online abuse aimed at England players. Social media companies must take immediate action to remove and prevent this hate. https://twitter.com/...

• @alexberesfordtv Alex Beresford on x

  Whilst we point blame at social media companies for letting racist abuse through, that's not the source! When those 3 lions stepped up don't think they didn't know what was on the line. They knew they risked facing racism by their supporters, and still they stepped up for you/us.

• @dearbhaildibs Dearbhail McDonald on x

  Social media companies are publishers, let's stop pretending that isn't the case. Imagine if a newspaper/tv/radio station published that racist abuse. It's not enough to condemn the posters, surely the platforms have to be held to account too. https://twitter.com/...

• @tariqpanja Tariq Panja on x

  Obviously the racist abuse has started on social media towards some of the #ENG players. Have a day off lads.

• @paulbernaluk Paul Bernal on x

  Just a reminder. The reason we have so much racist abuse on social media isn't because the social media companies 'aren't doing enough', it's because we have so much racism in our society. Social media companies could do more, of course, but that's not the real problem. 1/3

• @nytimes @nytimes on x

  Three players on England's soccer team who missed penalty kicks in the Euro 2020 final became the target of racist attacks on social media. London's Metropolitan Police said it would investigate the bigotry, which Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemned. https://www.nytimes.com/..…

• @nadine_writes Nadine White on x

  NEW: Twitter said it has removed over 1,000 posts within the past 24 hours which violated its policy and also permanently suspended a number of accounts. “The abhorrent racist abuse directed at England players last night has absolutely no place on Twitter,” spokesperson said.

• @davidlammy David Lammy on x

  This is why we take the knee. Praying for a better future - worthy of the values, beauty and respect exemplified by every single England player. https://twitter.com/...

• @uefa @uefa on x

  UEFA strongly condemns the disgusting racist abuse directed at several England players on social media after the EURO final, which has no place in football or society. We stand by the players and the English FA's call for the strongest possible punishments. #EqualGame #Respect

• @faspokesperson FA Spokesperson on x

  https://twitter.com/...

• @arsenal @arsenal on x

  We couldn't be any prouder of Bukayo. But once again, we are sad to have to say we condemn the racism of a number black players.

• @rioferdy5 Rio Ferdinand on x

  Now it's crazy to me how 120 minutes of football and a penalty shoot out later that the feeling towards some of our England players drastically changed. Immediately after the game social media platforms became the toxic and racist safe place for the ignorant and cowardly rats

• @rioferdy5 Rio Ferdinand on x

  These people I am talking about have shown us again who they really are! Social media companies please can we come together in creating a way to protect people on your platforms please.... Our young heroes need your attention too! @Twitter @instagram @Facebook

• @rmac18 Ryan Mac🙃 on x

  Within Facebook there are multiple threads of employees who are frustrated that FB is not doing enough to stop racist abuse on the accounts of English players Bukayo Saka & Marcus Rashford. They have been flagging comments for 12+ hours. One employee: “We MUST act faster here.”

• @dcms @dcms on x

  @NicolaRoberts @OliverDowden There is no place for racist abuse online. The police already has powers to identify people who post hatred anonymously. Our Online Safety Bill will force social media companies to stop repeat offenders opening new accounts. Failing to do so will resu…

• @rmac18 Ryan Mac🙃 on x

  Some employees are wondering why they weren't prepared more. Racist abuse is something they've seen all premier league season, they said. “It seems this was totally preventable,” one employee wrote on an internal forum, and asked what FB will do ahead of World Cup 2022.

• @officialtm_3 Tyrone Mings on x

  You don't get to stoke the fire at the beginning of the tournament by labelling our anti-racism message as ‘Gesture Politics’ & then pretend to be disgusted when the very thing we're campaigning against, happens. https://twitter.com/...

• @sachabaroncohen Sacha Baron Cohen on x

  Hey Mark Zuckerberg & @jack Dorsey — Facebook and Twitter are spreading racist attacks on these Black athletes. Online racism leads to real-world hate crimes. It's time to rid racism from your platforms once and for all! #StopHateForProfit https://twitter.com/...

• @oliviasolon Olivia Solon on x

  Black footballers have faced racist harassment online (and on pitch) for years & have campaigned for social media platforms and regulators to do more. What seems to be different now is that white politicians have started to pay attention.

• @rmac18 Ryan Mac🙃 on x

  One employee says they've reported so many racist comments that their personal Instagram account has been rate limited and will not allow them to report any more content.

• @rmac18 Ryan Mac🙃 on x

  As evidence, FB employees have screenshotted pages and pages of racist comments on the accounts of Saka, Rashford, and Sancho. The most common epithets use monkey emojis. One employee says the comments are from spam and anon accounts that look like they are created to abuse ppl.

• @webdevlaw Heather Burns on x

  Truly down the rabbit hole now: 1) Government is trying to recruit celebrities who have experienced abuse to be useful idiots for state censorship; 2) Celebrities aren't biting; 3) Government mansplains to said celebrities about their own lived experiences. https://twitter.com/..…

• @webdevlaw Heather Burns on x

  FWIW, the draft Bill says nothing about forcing companies to stop offenders from opening new accounts. Not one word. The only specifics addressed in the draft Bill are the speech control powers it will grant government.

• @fcbarcelona FC Barcelona on x

  Losing a penalty shootout is a part of football, and a part of life. Racism is not. https://twitter.com/...

• @ekp Ellen K. Pao on x

  It's self-imposed. Facebook made content moderation tough by making and ignoring their murky rules, and by amplifying harassment and hate to fuel its stock price. Negative PR is forcing them to address racism that has been on its platform from the start. I hope they really fix it…

• @damiancollins Damian Collins on x

  'We don't allow hate speech on @Facebook' it says in its terms of service. Can it explain how many Facebook and @instagram accounts have been deleted since last night for abuse directed at the England footballers, and how it stopped recommendation tools promoting it? @FBoversight…

• @joe_weller_ Joe Weller on x

  Petition: Make verified ID a requirement for opening a social media account. https://petition.parliament.uk/ ... SIGN THIS. HELP MAKE THE CHANGE.

• @malikashok Ashok Malik on x

  The disturbing visuals from London, after a first-rate Euro 2020 final, serve as an unfortunate reminder of how social media hate speech and offline violence feed off each other. This is a global problem. Both governments and Big Tech must recognise it https://www.cnbc.com/...

• @nicolaroberts Nicola Maria Roberts on x

  It will NOT. Until you close the gaps on making it impossible for an abuser to keep creating accounts. The @DCMS had not spoken to victims to gain experience of how to make this bill the most effective. It can't look like you're making a change. The change has to happen. https://…

• @de_kosnik Abigail De Kosnik on x

  Over and over, we get evidence from FB employees that they know and see how the platform abets racist speech. They know how FB exacerbates dangerous political situations. They always say they lack resources to correct FB's trajectory + upper mgmt doesn't support them. (1/2) https…

• @rmac18 Ryan Mac🙃 on x

  Earlier to handle this situation, FB comms provided England-based employees with talking points for friends & family. One of those talking points reads: “We worked swiftly to remove comments and accounts directing abuse at England's footballers.” (Some did not take this well.) ht…

• @toryboypierce Andrew Pierce on x

  Entirely predictable the three England players who missed penalties subjected to vile racist abuse on social media. So what are @Facebook @Twitter going to do about it? Nothing, as usual

• @jimwaterson Jim Waterson on x

  Thread about how even Facebook staff are struggling to stop racist abuse of England players. (When your platform is designed to encourage posting to a mass audience and your moderation is reactive, you can have all the meetings with government you want...) https://twitter.com/...

• @adamndsmith Adam Smith on x

  Removing anonymity doesn't stop people being racist. For example: Boris Johnson has been vocally racist for years, and now he is in control of the country. https://twitter.com/...

• @peterjukes Peter Jukes on x

  Bingo. Cheap shots at social media, which those in power only like if they can populate with their own paid for bots and sock puppets. They're happy most the time for the right wing trolls to intimidate and silence https://twitter.com/...

• @uklabour @uklabour on x

  The racist abuse that members of the England football team are facing is appalling. The Conservatives need to crack down on the social media companies that continue to allow this hatred to spread. https://twitter.com/...

• @ticerichard Richard Tice on x

  Boris & Parliament could stop online racism in its tracks by passing legislation forcing Twitter & FB in U.K. to have only named accounts, checking peoples details, & banning anonymous ones. Happens in betting etc so why not social media. Come on Zuckerberg & Co ...

• @alexisohanian @alexisohanian on x

  I've said it before and I'll say it again: social media platforms need athletes WAY MORE than athletes need these platforms. They will leave. (Also why I'm investing in vertical social media platforms like @GloriaFootball - who see the business value in fighting abuse/hate). http…

• @s_m_i Stacy-Marie Ishmael on x

  As the ref was blowing the final whistle last night, I was having a rage stroke about the fact that the platforms would immediately fail to anticipate and to react to what was about to go down. And here we are. https://twitter.com/...

• @katiecollins Katie Collins on x

  According to FB, emojis being used to racially abuse people does violate its hate speech policies and moderators use context to make a call on this. So what we're seeing here is a tech failure — FB's automated systems can't understand the context and therefore no action is taken

• @clancynewyork Eileen Clancy on x

  “One [Facebook] employee says they've reported so many racist comments that their personal Instagram account has been rate limited.” https://twitter.com/...

• @gisellalomax Gisella Lomax on x

  Reaction from inside Facebook/ Instagram to the racist attacks on @England players - (a) this was preventable and (b) they can and must do more, including investing money - ie more moderation by humans as well as machines. Please let this be a turning point. https://twitter.com/.…

• @adamserwer Adam Serwer on x

  This is so infuriating, but it's emblematic of a toxic relationship many predominantly white fandoms have with the black superstars of their chosen sport https://www.nytimes.com/...

• @amnesty @amnesty on x

  We stand with Saka, Rashford and Sancho - and all Black footballers. We stand against the abuse and violence flooding social media. We stand together in solidarity against racism ✊✊✊

• @holden Mike Caulfield on x

  This is like so much with Facebook. Predictable crisis, ages to prepare for it, clear violations of existing policies, identification of problematic content that is as simple as search or watching replies. And yet, nothing is done until the fire is already raging. https://twitter…

• @shallowbrigade Kim O'Connor on x

  Mark Zuckerberg didn't create a platform to connect the world; he created a platform to enrich himself. It's very odd that people who report on FB for a living can't get this very basic framework correct https://twitter.com/...

• @orientaljanedoe Jane Chung on x

  kind of illuminating, the kool aid trickles down so effectively that employees care more about “being seen as complicit” than “being complicit” https://twitter.com/...

• @owillis Oliver Willis on x

  facebook's first quarter 2021 profits were $9.5 billion in case you believe them when they say its too hard to hire more content moderators https://twitter.com/...

• @katiecollins Katie Collins on x

  I asked Facebook 5+ hours ago now why it wasn't removing monkey emojis when users were reporting them (apparently it doesn't violate community guidelines despite being a common racist trope) and I still haven't had a response 🤷‍♀️ https://twitter.com/...

• @owillis Oliver Willis on x

  similar energy here from the corps that are like “we cant pay people a decent wage nevermind that if we cut 3% from our fat profits we still make a metric ton of money”

• @fboversight @fboversight on x

  Facebook's own employees are scrambling to find an answer to the flood of racist activity following yesterday's #ITAENG match while the company's execs sit idly by, letting racism proliferate on the platform. Facebook must act NOW to remove racist comments/content. https://twitte…

• @blackamazon @blackamazon on x

  They had a whole brief on Racist abuse in 2016. I think the most abused anglophone politician is STILL Diane Abbott And if it's not Abbott it's Kamala Harris/ Meghan Markle or AOC ... Facebook don't care https://twitter.com/...

• @capuletpoehner Capulet Poehner on x

  @RMac18 “After working at Phillip Morris for a decade I was shocked to learn that our deadly product is highly addictive”

• @bulbulnyc Bulbul Gupta on x

  @RMac18 Sad but not surprised. As a woman of color who's experienced racism, misogyny, sexual harassment on @Facebook and @Twitter I will say that it's 10X harder to get FB to see anything as “violating community standards”, and 50-50 with @TwitterSafety. Why I barely use FB anym…

• @rmac18 Ryan Mac🙃 on x

  I leave you with this FB employee internal comment: “We get this stream of utter bile every match, and it's even worse when someone black misses... We really can't be seen as complicit in this.”

• @davidschneider David Schneider on x

  ◾️Called Muslim women “letterboxes” ◾️Called Africans “piccaninnies” ◾️Called Obama “part-Kenyan” ◾️Said it was ok to boo players making a stance against racism ◾️Appointed people who don't believe in structural racism to say there's no structural racism https://twitter.com/...

• @rmac18 Ryan Mac🙃 on x

  “Is it possible to remove known racist emojis from comments?” one employee asks. Another asks if new accounts with no followers could be prevented from commenting on high profile accounts. Another asks if FB/IG can flood the accounts “with positivity to counterbalance the hate.”

• @rmac18 Ryan Mac🙃 on x

  Content moderation is tough but Mark Zuckerberg created a platform to connect the world and must now reckon with what that truly means. This isn't a new problem, yet it's clear that Facebook is utterly failing based on its own expectations and rules around racist abuse.

• @bethxlouisexx Beth Louise on x

  If Instagram can flag up anything covid related and add swipe up links within seconds, why can't they remove racist accounts and delete racist comments? 🤷‍♀️