Courts should be able to ban racist online abusers from football matches, says Labor | UK News

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Those convicted of racist abuse online should be able to be banned from football matches by the courts, Labor has said.

The request follows attacks on three young English footballers, all black and failing in the Euro 2020 final against Italy on Sunday.

The Labor Party has said that football banning orders, which are currently used to tackle racist abuse in matches, should be extended to cover hatred online.

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Shadow Culture Secretary Jo Stevens said: “Racists who have abused England players online should be banned from football pitches. They don’t deserve to be near a football match .

“We need urgent action to tackle online abuse, but the reality is that the government’s online security bill will not stop racist abuse online.

“Labor would ensure that online abuse is treated the same as racism directed at patio players, so that these racists are brought to justice and banned from the courts.”

An online petition calling for a lifelong ban on racists from football matches in England has received more than 980,000 signatures since it was launched after Sunday’s game.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Priti Patel both condemned the abuse of footballers Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka after the game.

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Mr Johnson also discussed the matter with social media companies on Tuesday.

Football ban orders can last between three and 10 years and allow magistrates to ban people from all regulated football matches in the UK if they are found guilty of certain offenses.

Violators may also be forced to surrender their passport before matches abroad.

Orders are primarily used for violence and public disturbance offenses, so they do not cover online offenses.

Of the 1,089 football-related arrests in the 2019/20 season in England and Wales, 35 were for racist and indecent chants, while 657 were for unrest.

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A spokesperson for the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sports said: “Racism in all its forms has no place in our society and that is why we are introducing tough new laws to force social media companies crack down on it.

“The police already have a range of powers to identify and prosecute those who use anonymity to spread hatred.

“Our prominent online security bill will also prevent repeat offenders from opening new accounts.

“It will include executive criminal accountability powers and we will not hesitate to put those powers into effect if the tech companies don’t step up their efforts.”

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