Police target online abuse towards footballers and fans
metro
Police take aim at online abuse and homophobic chants within football
Police and prosecutors are staging an increased clampdown on abuse and violence in football, with more attention placed on trolling and harassment within social media.
Football fans who take to Twitter or Facebook to abuse players or fellow supporters could find themselves not only banned from travelling to important matches for three years, but also answering to the courts.
The Crown Prosecution Service and police are targeting misdemeanours in the stadium but also vitriol online, issuing new guidelines which reiterates the use of Football Banning Orders (FBOs) in their normal capacity, but also tries to tackle emerging challenges such as the assault of players on the pitch or possession of flares and fireworks within the stadium.
Online abuse and, for the first time, homophobic chants are also specifically being addressed, with the CPS working in conjunction with the FA and Players Union to curb hate crimes.
In years gone by, racist and homophobic chanting in the stands was an ugly feature of football matches across the country, but I believe we are beginning to see a shift in culture, said Nick Hawkins, chief crown prosecutor for CPS Direct.
Organisations such as Kick It Out and Stonewall have done much to tackle the root causes of hate crime in football, but hate crime legislation has a large part to play in this ongoing culture change; there is no room in the eyes of the law for racist or homophobic abuse on the pitch or in the stands.
But its not just criminality in the stands that will be taken on. Our legal guidance on communications sent by social media clearly sets out how we will approach the abuse of players or fellow supporters online and Im glad to say we have the full support of the FA and the PFA in this field.
If football fans find themselves in trouble with the law, they could face an FBO which prevents them travelling to the 2014 Brazil World Cup, as well as Euro 2016 in France including the qualifiers.
Hawkins also pointed out that there is scope for appropriate humour in football, which should not be abated.
Police and prosecutors are staging an increased clampdown on abuse and violence in football, with more attention placed on trolling and harassment within social media.
Football fans who take to Twitter or Facebook to abuse players or fellow supporters could find themselves not only banned from travelling to important matches for three years, but also answering to the courts.
The Crown Prosecution Service and police are targeting misdemeanours in the stadium but also vitriol online, issuing new guidelines which reiterates the use of Football Banning Orders (FBOs) in their normal capacity, but also tries to tackle emerging challenges such as the assault of players on the pitch or possession of flares and fireworks within the stadium.
Online abuse and, for the first time, homophobic chants are also specifically being addressed, with the CPS working in conjunction with the FA and Players Union to curb hate crimes.
In years gone by, racist and homophobic chanting in the stands was an ugly feature of football matches across the country, but I believe we are beginning to see a shift in culture, said Nick Hawkins, chief crown prosecutor for CPS Direct.
Organisations such as Kick It Out and Stonewall have done much to tackle the root causes of hate crime in football, but hate crime legislation has a large part to play in this ongoing culture change; there is no room in the eyes of the law for racist or homophobic abuse on the pitch or in the stands.
But its not just criminality in the stands that will be taken on. Our legal guidance on communications sent by social media clearly sets out how we will approach the abuse of players or fellow supporters online and Im glad to say we have the full support of the FA and the PFA in this field.
If football fans find themselves in trouble with the law, they could face an FBO which prevents them travelling to the 2014 Brazil World Cup, as well as Euro 2016 in France including the qualifiers.
Hawkins also pointed out that there is scope for appropriate humour in football, which should not be abated.
