Johnson confirms football banning orders to be given to online racial abusers
People who racially abuse footballers online will be banned from attending matches, Boris Johnson has confirmed.
The Prime Minister also said social media firms that do not get racism off their platforms will face fines amounting to 10 per cent of their global revenues as a part of the future Online Harms Bill.
Three black English football players received racist abuse after missing in the penalty shootout in Sunday’s Euro 2020 final loss to Italy.
This caused an uproar of condemnation from the Royal Family, politicians, sporting figures and celebrities.
Johnson held a meeting with UK heads of the world’s biggest social media firms – including Twitter, Facebook and Instagram – yesterday to discuss how to cut out racist abuse on their platforms.
“What we’re doing is today taking practical steps to ensure that the football banning order regime is changed so that if you are guilty of racist abuse online of footballers then you will not be going to the match,” Johnson said.
“If you are guilty of racist abuse you won’t be going to the match – no ifs, no buts, no exceptions and no excuses.”
He added: “We will legislate to address this problem in the Online Harms Bill that unless they get hate and racism off their platforms they will face fines amounting to 10 per cent of their global revenues and we know they have the technology to do it.”
Banning orders are generally given out for football-related violence and see people banned from matches for between three and five years.
They also usually come with other conditions, such as being banned from being anywhere near stadiums on match days.
Labour yesterday called on the government to implement banning orders on people who racially abuse players online.
Shadow digital and culture secretary Jo Stevens said: “If Boris Johnson wanted to extend football banning orders to include online racism he could have done this a long time ago. When will he put words into actions.”