Derbyshire police and Chesterfield Stand Up To Racism group condemn abuse levelled at England players following Euros loss

Police in Derbyshire and Chesterfield and North Derbyshire’s Stand Up To Racism group have condemned the racist abuse that has been levelled at England players who missed penalties in the Euros 2020 final.
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Chesterfield and North Derbyshire’s Stand Up To Racism Group said the racist abuse levelled at England’s top stars highlighted why it was so important for teams to continue to take the knee – a choice Gareth Southgate’s team was booed for by some fans during the tournament.

A spokesperson for Chesterfield and North Derbyshire's Stand Up To Racism added: “We stand full square with Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka and against the torrent of abuse they are receiving on social media.

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“We stand full square with the English and Italian teams for taking the knee.

Bukayo Saka of England is consoled by Gareth Southgate, Head Coach of England following defeat in the UEFA Euro 2020 Championship Final between Italy and England at Wembley Stadium on July 11, 2021 in London, England. Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images.Bukayo Saka of England is consoled by Gareth Southgate, Head Coach of England following defeat in the UEFA Euro 2020 Championship Final between Italy and England at Wembley Stadium on July 11, 2021 in London, England. Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images.
Bukayo Saka of England is consoled by Gareth Southgate, Head Coach of England following defeat in the UEFA Euro 2020 Championship Final between Italy and England at Wembley Stadium on July 11, 2021 in London, England. Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images.

"For standing up against division and racial hatred.

“This abuse shows how much we all need to take the knee.

"We agree with Gary Neville when he stated on Sky news that he knew he would be waking up to stories of racist abuse.

"He is right to blame top 'ranking politicians' who ridiculed the taking of the knee and said it was ok for English fans to boo the players.

"He expected it because racism exists.

"He is so right.

“We pledge to continue our fight against all forms of racism and say in particular to say kick racism out of football.

"Love football hate racism.”

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In a post on social media, Derbyshire Constabulary there was “no excuse” for the discriminatory comments that have flooded the social media accounts of Gareth Southgate’s side following England’s defeat at Wembley to Italy yesterday evening (Sunday, July 11).

The historic match went to penalties after the game stood at 1-1 despite an extra half an hour of added time with Italy eventually triumphing.

Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka, who missed their penalties, all received racist abuse online within minutes of the match ending when England’s loss was sealed.

In a statement, Derbyshire police commented: “It wasn't the result we were hoping for, but that is no excuse for some of the terrible comments that have been circulating on social media today.

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“Remember, you don’t have to be the victim of a hate incident to report it. If you see it, please report it. It takes two minutes and makes all the difference.

“Facebook: Send us a private message to /DerbyshireConstabulary

“Twitter: Direct message our contact centre on @DerPolContact

“Website: Complete the online contact form derbyshire.police.uk/Contact-Us.

“Phone: Call us on 101.

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“On our website you will also find details of organisations which can provide further help and support, if you or someone you know has been affected by hate incidents: https://www.derbyshire.police.uk/.../how-to-report-hate.../”.

On Twitter, the England team said they were “disgusted” by the discriminatory abuse players had received.

In a post, the side wrote: “We’re disgusted that some of our squad – who have given everything for the shirt this summer – have been subjected to discriminatory abuse online after tonight’s game.

“We stand with our players,” they added, alongside a love heart emoji.

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The Metropolitan Police confirmed it will be investigating “offensive and racist” social media posts directed towards members of the team.

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