Bundesliga coach calls for stronger response to DW hate speech 04/07/2023

[ad_1]

RB Leipzig coach Marco Rose said on Friday he backs increased penalties for online abuse against players, after German defender Benjamin Henrichs was the target of a barrage of racist slurs in line after appearing in the German Cup quarter-finals this week.

“I think more draconian sanctions should be imposed, that the state should think about it,” Rose said at a press conference on Friday. “By locking them up for a few days, you could possibly get one or two of them to think about behaving like a normal social person.”

After the game against Dortmund, RB Leipzig and German international Henrichs shared excerpts of personal messages on the social media platform TikTok, in which he and his family were the target of racist and derogatory insults. Some messages even wanted Henrichs to hurt himself.

“We won 2-0 in the cup against Dortmund today and I’ll show you what my DMs (personal messages) look like after a cup win like that. Have fun,” Henrichs said in a video .

“We live in a society where anyone can spread hate and racism on the internet,” he wrote.

German Football Identity: Patrick Owomoyela

This browser does not support the audio element.

RB Leipzig said on Thursday they condemn “all forms of racism and anti-Semitism and do not tolerate any form of discrimination. We stand for diversity, openness, human dignity and tolerance.”

Reigning Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich and the DFB showed their support for Henrichs, with the former tweeting: ‘Only together can we fight against racism, anti-Semitism and discrimination in our company! We in Munich are also on your side, Benny!”

Rose followed suit on Friday. “It’s very important to always lead by example and stand up against racism and hate on the internet.”

The RB Leipzig head coach, however, fears that Henrichs’ case will soon be forgotten ‘like so many things, when it comes to serious issues’.

Henrichs is now reportedly considering legal action and therefore does not wish to comment publicly on the matter.

jh/jcg (dpa)

Interview: Footballer Kingsley Ehizibue

This browser does not support the video element.

[ad_2]