In the build-up to the European Championships, Kick It Out has launched a new campaign to tackle online discrimination. The organisation’s #KlickItOut campaign encourages football supporters to kick online discrimination and hate speech out of football, and to promote equality and inclusion.
During Euro 2016, Kick It Out, alongside Brandwatch, a world leading social intelligence and analytics company, will monitor social media discrimination aimed at selected players competing in the tournament, to further analyse the problem.
Kick It Out also calls on supporters to get involved on social media by tweeting and posting on the topic of “We need #KlickItOut”. The organisation has launched a website for the campaign at www.klickitout.org, and have released a video to support the campaign.
Roisin Wood, Kick It Out Director said: “We want this campaign to illustrate the level of discrimination that still occurs on social media that is a stain on football.
“At Kick It Out we don’t have the power to change laws but we hope our campaign shows how serious the problem is and the devastating impact it can have on people. This problem needs to be addressed now.”
Martin Glenn, Chief Executive Officer at the Football Association of England, said: “Discrimination on social media is now a live and active issue the game has to contend with. Whilst much work is done behind the scenes by the footballing and civil authorities, as well as the social networks themselves, campaigns like this are an effective way of raising the issue and highlighting the work which still needs to be done.”
Gordon Taylor, Chief Executive of the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), the trade union for professional association footballers in England and Wales, added: “Nobody should have to tolerate any form of discrimination, either in person or online. It’s important to recognise that discrimination is taking place on these platforms and tighter restrictions are required.
“The discrimination being levelled at PFA members on social media is appalling and we would like to see the same impact our anti-discrimination work has had in stadiums to take effect online.”
Kick It Out has been tackling racism and discrimination in football since 1993.
