AFL Stars Face online Abuse: clubs and Players Demand Action Against Racism
Table of Contents
Melbourne, VIC – The Australian Football League (AFL) is onc again grappling with the ugly reality of online racism, as several players faced vile abuse following weekend matches. In response, clubs and players are speaking out, demanding greater accountability from social media platforms and governments too combat the persistent issue.
Players Targeted with Racist slurs
The latest wave of online attacks targeted Port Adelaide’s Jase Burgoyne and St Kilda’s Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera. The racist comments, directed at the players after their respective games, have sparked widespread condemnation across the league.
Port adelaide, in a strong statement, highlighted the need for social media platforms to take more responsibility for the content allowed on their sites. The club urged users to report abusive comments and called on governments to hold these platforms accountable for the actions of their users.
“We also encourage people who witness or experience online abuse to report and highlight it to the social media platforms on which it appears,” the Power stated. ”Port Adelaide also calls for governments to demand accountability from social media organisations. Platforms need to take accountability and action against these abusers.”
Port Adelaide skipper Connor Rozee echoed these sentiments, describing the comments directed at Burgoyne as “absolutely disgusting.”
“I don’t know how many times we have to see this before people understand it’s absolutely not OK,” Rozee said in an interview with Channel Seven. “I’d love to see us find a way to point those people out and make sure they’re not hiding behind screens.”
Club Support for Targeted Players
St Kilda CEO Carl Dilena released a statement on Monday expressing the club’s unwavering support for Wanganeen-Milera, who is of Kokatha and Narangga heritage.
“As a club we do not accept racist behaviour of any kind.these comments are abhorrent and have no place in our game or our community,” Dilena said.
carlton vice-captain Jacob Weitering also voiced his disappointment, noting the recurring theme of harsh and radical opinions when teams or individuals are not performing.
“There seems to be a constant theme that when players aren’t performing, coaches aren’t performing, teams aren’t performing, that people feel the need to voice their opinions in a harsh and radical way,” Weitering commented.
Weitering acknowledged the complexity of limiting players’ social media use, suggesting it opens up ”a can of worms.” He emphasized the club’s focus on supporting its own players.
“There’s certainly more questions than answers, and players and clubs will deal with it in different ways, but for us, we’ve got to worry about the people within our four walls and making sure that everyone’s OK,” he said.
The AFL confirmed it has an agreement with the eSafety commissioner to address instances of racism as they occur, signalling a commitment to tackling the issue.
