Prince William denounces ‘despicable’ racism aimed at soccer players in rare statement
In a rare statement released on Twitter, Prince William took aim at online racist abuse toward Black soccer players and urged social media platforms to take more responsibility.
After a 0-0 draw Saturday at Arsenal in the Premier League, Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford received racist messages on social media and condemned the messages on Twitter.
“Humanity and social media at its worst. Yes I’m a Black man and I live every day proud that I am. No one, or no one comment, is going to make me feel any different,” Rashford tweeted.
“So sorry if you were looking for a strong reaction, you’re just simply not going to get it here.”
According to ESPN, West Midland Police announced that a 49-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of “racially abusing West Bromwich Albion midfielder Romaine Sawyers during Tuesday’s Premier League home defeat to Manchester City.”
Other players who have been targeted in recent weeks are Rashford’s teammates Axel Tuanzebe and Anthony Martial, and Chelsea player Reece James, according to PEOPLE.
Some on social media were wondering out loud why Prince William didn’t defend sister-in-law Meghan Markle in a similar fashion after she endured racist attacks for years from the British tabloids.
In 2016, Prince William did back up Prince Harry when he released a letter in 2016 denouncing the harassment of then-girlfriend Markle, according to Vanity Fair.
“[Prince Harry’s] girlfriend, Meghan Markle, has been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment,” the Palace said on behalf of Harry in a statement at the time. “Some of this has been very public—the smear on the front page of a national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments.”
According to Vanity Fair, William backed up his brother’s words after rumors emerged that the Duke of Cambridge didn’t support Harry’s decision to release the statement.
“The Duke of Cambridge absolutely understands the situation concerning privacy and supports the need for Prince Harry to support those closest to him,” the statement said via The Telegraph.
This story was originally published February 1, 2021 at 8:36 AM.