A Met investigation into a torrent of online racist abuse directed at a high profile London footballer, has resulted in twelve men being arrested or interviewed under caution.
The recent police action, which occurred over the past two weeks, culminated yesterday evening (Thursday 20 May) with a man being visited by the Met at his Greater Manchester home address.
The twelve men have each been arrested, or interviewed under caution, under suspicion of using words or behaviour, or displaying written material with intent to stir up racial hatred.
Police activity occurred at a variety of locations across England and Wales.
Detective Sergeant Matt Simpson from the Met’s public order crime team, said: “This action makes it abundantly clear that police will not stand for racist thuggery, even if it is committed online. The posts, all of which were on Twitter, were vulgar and were utterly unacceptable. There is no safe haven for this type of abusive behaviour and we are committed to taking decisive action to root it out.”
The investigation was launched following the Manchester United vs Tottenham match on Sunday 11 April. During the match, a Tottenham player was targeted with a series of highly offensive and racist remarks on Twitter.
This abuse was initially detected via Manchester United’s online reporting tool, and was then flagged to police in Manchester. The Met took the lead for this investigation, liaising closely with policing partners nationally as well as social media companies and both of the football clubs involved. Through painstaking police work, the anonymous social media users were identified and tracked down.
Officers from the Met then travelled to other policing areas, working with local officers to conduct arrests or interview suspects.
The Met is committed to working with football clubs to drive out racism. Whether racism happens in the stadium or outside the stadium, it will not be tolerated. Officers will look to identify offenders and take action, as they have done in this case.
DS Simpson, added: “With a busy summer of football approaching we are committed to driving out this type of racist behaviour – it has no place in football. I am delighted with the support we have received from our policing colleagues nationally and from Manchester United and Tottenham. Without them, it would be difficult to identify these users and take action.”
Chief Constable Mark Roberts, National Police Chiefs’ Council Football Policing Lead, said: “This is an excellent example of the police service’s commitment to tackling the online abuse of footballers, in this case led and coordinated by the Metropolitan Police Service.
“By taking action, it hopefully gets the message across to offenders that you cannot hide and increasingly we will see more arrests as forces, the UK Football Policing Unit and wider football bodies coordinate their efforts. It should also reassure players that we take this incredibly seriously, and if they come forward we will support them, together with Kick it Out and the Professional Footballers’ Association.”
Tony Burnett, Kick It Out CEO, said, “We are pleased to see these arrests being made, it sends a powerful message that online abuse is unacceptable and those found guilty will face real-life consequences. Social media has become a vehicle for inappropriate behaviour on a societal level and certain people think it’s okay to send abusive messages. We have to make sure we create an environment where online abuse is punished and that the perpetrators are identified as much as possible. These arrests demonstrate the police’s commitment to tackling online abuse and we hope this sends a message to others so they think twice before posting discriminatory abuse. It’s also important that we remain focused on the welfare of those who play, watch and work in football, and receive abuse, and we will continue to offer our support to those who need it.”
Superintendent Julie Ellison from Greater Manchester Police, said: “Racism has absolutely no place in our communities, and I hope that these arrests send a clear message to those who think it is acceptable to spread hatred and abuse from behind the protection of their keyboard, that this is absolutely not the case. We will do everything within our powers to identify who you are and bring you to justice.”
This latest action is the first as part of this investigation, officers continue to identify further possible offences linked to this match.
The arrests carried out as part of this action were in the below areas, each person has been released under investigation as further enquiries continue:
[A] A 22-year-old man from Poole, Dorset.
[B] A 26-year-old man from Retford, Nottinghamshire.
[C] A 32-year-old man from Swansea, Wales.
[D] A 27-year-old man from Warrington, Cheshire.
[E] A 20-year-old man from Bristol.
[F] A 20-year-old man from Llanelli, Wales.
[G] A 25-year-old man from Newport, Wales.
[H] A 29-year-old man from Hartlepool, County Durham.
The following attended a police station have been interviewed under caution and since been released as further enquiries continue:
[I] A 20-year-old man from Trafford, Greater Manchester.
[J] A 25-year-old man from Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire.
[K] A 63-year-old man from Poole, Dorset.
[L] A 25-year-old man from Aberdare, Wales.