Football’s equality campaign Kick It Out has received a marked increase in reports of racist, homophobic and other discriminatory incidents this season compared with the equivalent midway point last year.
In total 282 incidences of abuse were reported in professional and grassroots football and on social media, 59% up on the 177 incidents recorded by the organisation at the 2016-17 midpoint.
Kick It Out recognises that the numbers represent just a tiny fraction of the abusive incidents that occur nationally, and on the internet, but are never reported to Kick It Out. In April 2015, the organisation collaborated in research with two specialist social media companies, Tempero and Brandwatch, which found 134,400 racist and other discriminatory posts directed at Premier League players and clubs in the previous seven months.
Nevertheless, Kick It Out’s chair, Lord Ouseley, said he believes this season’s increase in the relatively few incidents it receives is significant, not due only to more active reporting of incidents. Ouseley has previously warned politicians that they foment hatred with negative depictions of immigrants and minorities, and said the increase should “act as a wake-up call” to football’s clubs and authorities.
“The spike in these mid-season reporting statistics comes against the backdrop of rising hatred in our society, as recently shown in Community Security Trust’s publication of reported antisemitic incidents [a 3% rise was recorded in 2017]. There is no place for complacency when it comes to challenging prejudice,” he said.
More than a third of the incidents reported to Kick It Out consisted of abuse on social media; the overwhelming majority, 88%, were on Twitter, with a minority relating to posts on Facebook (10%) and Instagram (2%).
Reported incidents in the professional game, mostly abuse by supporters, increased by 75%, to 131 this season, while in grassroots football the rise was small, from 37 to 42 incidents.
Incidents can be reported to Kick It Out by telephone, email, directly to its website, via a reporting app or on social media itself. The organisation has a policy of reporting to the police all abuse that its officers believe may amount to hate crime.
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