Brentford has denounced the “disgusting harassment” directed at Ivan Toney, the English forward who has been subjected to racist comments online. The top-tier club has also criticized the lackluster reaction of social media platforms in addressing these types of incidents.
Toney, who is 27 years old, has previously faced racism in the form of comments on his Instagram posts. Brentford is now urging for stronger action to be taken after another incident has occurred.
“We are deeply disappointed and troubled to announce that Ivan Toney has once again been targeted with racist remarks on Instagram,” stated the club. “We are currently conducting an investigation into this despicable harassment, and we strongly denounce it.”
Unfortunately, this is not the first instance where Ivan has had to handle this situation. A comparable event took place only four weeks ago, during which we were able to identify a suspected perpetrator and reported them to the authorities. However, as of now, no actions have been taken against this individual.
The Bees urged for those who have made racist remarks to be punished and to work towards preventing similar incidents from occurring in the future.
Overall, the statement expressed disappointment in how social media platforms have addressed these persistent problems. The proposed measures, such as filters to block harmful comments, may protect the players but ultimately do not deter the perpetrators. As long as there are no consequences for their actions, the same issues will continue to occur.
We believe in the possibility of change and value our ongoing communication with Meta. However, we urge for more definitive and immediate measures to address hate speech online. We demand swift investigations and, most importantly, prosecution of offenders.
“We remain committed to collaborating with the authorities and the Premier League in order to provide support for our players as we address the despicable online harassment.”
The season ticket of a West Brom fan who was arrested on suspicion of racially abusing Birmingham’s Juninho Bacuna at the Hawthorns has been suspended.
During the final moments of Saturday’s 1-0 Championship loss, Bacuna informed the fourth official, Tom Nield, about an incident. A 50-year-old man from Dudley was arrested by West Midlands police and has been released on bail. Witnesses are being sought.
West Brom has stated that they fully support the West Midlands police’s investigation into this matter and are staying in communication with Birmingham City to ensure that Juninho Bacuna receives necessary support.
“The organization strongly opposes any acts of discrimination and will take all measures to ensure that those found guilty of racism are subject to the most severe legal consequences possible. They will also be permanently banned from attending events at The Hawthorns.”
Source: theguardian.com
