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Police make four arrests over online racist abuse of England players following Euros 2020 final
Police have warned the other culprits that they will be tracked down
Four arrests have been made in relation to the racist abuse targeted towards certain England players on Sunday night, the police have confirmed today.
Players Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka were all targeted on social media after missing their penalties in England’s defeat in the Euros 2020 final. The Marcus Rashford mural in Withington was also defaced in the hour after the loss, though it has since been adorned with flowers and messages of love and support from locals.
After the sickening reaction to England’s defeat, there have been overwhelming calls for the racists targeting the football players to be held accountable for their actions – a petition urging the FA to dish out lifelong bans to the perpetrators has even surpassed a million signatures, while Boris Johnson yesterday confirmed online racists would face be banned from matches.
But now, four days on from the vile incidents, the police have confirmed that four arrests have been made while the hunt for the remaining culprits continues.
In a statement issued to PA news agency, The UK Football Policing Unit (UKFPU) said: “Following England’s defeat against Italy on Sunday a torrent of racist comments aimed at some of the team’s black players appeared on platforms including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
“A hate crime investigation is under way by the UKFPU, with a dedicated team of investigators working their way through a large number of reports from across the country.
“So far, dozens of data applications have been submitted to social media companies and four people have been arrested by local police forces.”
Ethan Wilkinson / Unsplash
Chief Constable Mark Roberts, the National Police Chiefs’ Council football policing lead, added: “The racial abuse aimed at our own players following Sunday night’s game is utterly vile and has quite rightly shocked and appalled people across the country.
“Our England team have been true role models during the tournament, conducting themselves with professionalism and dignity. I’m disgusted there are individuals out there who think it’s acceptable to direct such abhorrent abuse at them, or at anybody else.
“The UKFPU investigation is well under way and work continues to identify those responsible. We are working very closely with social media platforms, who are providing data we need to progress enquiries.”
Greater Manchester Police continue to appeal for any information on the culprits responsible for vandalising the Marcus Rashford mural in Withington – anyone with information can contact the police on 0161 856 4973, quoting 453 of 12/07/2021.
You can also call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.