Jo Stevens – 2021 Comments on Racism on Social Media

The comments made by Jo Stevens, the Shadow Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, on 12 July 2021.

The horrific racist abuse of the England penalty-takers had a disappointing inevitability to it.

Twitter, Facebook and Instagram have the means to stop this hatred on their platforms and yet they decide to do nothing.

Meanwhile the Government’s long-promised Online Safety Bill has yet again been delayed with progress unlikely to get underway until after the summer.

No one should have to put up with this abuse online, social media companies’ self-regulation has to end and instead we need tough new laws.

The Prime Minister has previously done no more than turned a blind eye to racism against our players. Warm words and gigantic England flags are no substitute for using the power he has, to make it stop.