Cornish Pirates join sports clubs' social media blackout to tackle racism
A social media boycott is taking place across the bank holiday weekend
Sports teams, players, sponsors and governing bodies across the UK, including the Cornish Pirates, are joining together this weekend in a show of solidarity against racism.
A number of accounts from across differing sports will go silent on social media for three days from 3pm on Friday (30th April) until a minute before midnight on Monday.
It's not just official team accounts which are taking part, governing bodies, sponsors and many sportspeople themselves are all going silent on social media.
Social media blackout started with football
Last week, a coalition of English football’s largest governing bodies – including the Football Association, Premier League and EFL – revealed they would go silent on social media following a rise in abuse directed at players and other individuals within the game.
This weekend’s boycott follows social media blackouts by Swansea, Birmingham and Rangers in recent weeks, with Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson stating he would be willing to follow Arsenal great Thierry Henry in coming offline altogether in protest against racist behaviour.
The Scottish Football Association and Scottish Professional Football League have also joined up, with SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell saying:
“The Scottish FA is encouraged that football has united against the growing scourge of online abuse and we are proud to play our part in supporting the social media boycott.”
Other sports join the boycott
English and Welsh cricket will join football’s boycott of social media this weekend in a show of solidarity against racism and discrimination.
The England and Wales Cricket Board, all 18 first-class counties, the eight women’s regional teams and the Professional Cricketers’ Association will all boycott platforms
ECB chief executive Tom Harrison said: “As a sport, we are united in our commitment to fight racism and we will not tolerate the kind of discriminatory abuse that has become so prevalent on social media platforms.
“Social media can play a very positive role in sport, widening its audience and connecting fans with their heroes in a way that was never possible before.
“However, players and supporters alike must be able to use these platforms safe in the knowledge they do not risk the prospect of facing appalling abuse.”
Lots of rugby clubs, including England's top 12 clubs have also announced they will support football and English and Welsh cricket by boycotting the social media platforms this weekend.
The Cornish Pirates have announced they will also be supporting the boycott.
"It's to step up and show a united stand against hate speech and abuse on social media, it's about time, everybody feels that action needs to be taken.
"Nobody should have to accept any abuse, it's never acceptable, we all have a part to play and the majority of people are fine, it's only those very few ignorant keyboard warriors, and it has got to be dealt with.
"People are starting to make a stand and get behind it, and it's important that is done in life, and it's not just in sport, it's all people, generally it can happen and there is just no place for it."
Phil Westren, Cornish Pirates Media Officer
Sponsors show solidarity against racism
Adidas, which manufactures more than a third of Premier League kits, including the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and Leicester, is stopping all advertising across its platforms this weekend.
Barclays, title sponsor of the WSL and the official bank of the Premier League, will support the blackout, with no social media posts on the Barclays Football pages of Facebook and Instagram nor the Barclays Footy Twitter account, while the company’s other social channels will avoid all football-related activity.
Budweiser, which sponsors the England team, is also signing up, with online car retailer Cazoo, shirt sponsors of Aston Villa and Everton, on Tuesday becoming the first major football sponsor to announce its support.
Social media blackout could be debated in Parliament
The social media boycott to protest against online racism could become a matter for debate in the House of Commons as MP Julie Elliott wants Parliament to discuss the issues it raises.
Elliott, a member of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, has written to the Leader of the House of Commons requesting Parliamentary time be put aside to debate the boycott.
“This boycott is unprecedented in the industry. We have seen far too many examples of sportspeople receiving sexist, racist and homophobic abuse online,” she wrote to the Leader of the House Jacob Rees Mogg.
“I am therefore writing to you to request…. parliamentary time on the floor of the House is granted to debate this important issue.”