The perpetrator, believed to be located outside the UK, directed a racial slur and shared a manipulated image of the 22-year-old Arsenal and England international on X (formerly Twitter).
Despite Arsenal’s prompt reporting and the efforts of the Metropolitan Police and specialist football policing units, the investigation has hit a roadblock due to X’s lack of cooperation in providing crucial information to identify the offender, according to a report from The S*n.
This lack of assistance from the social media giant has sparked outrage, with Clive Betts MP, chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Football, stating, “Simply because they are overseas and X is not prepared to take action is not good enough. If we cannot rely on them to self-moderate, then further regulation is required.”
Sadly, this isn’t the first time Saka has been subjected to such abhorrent abuse. He was also targeted in 2023 after missing a penalty against West Ham, and was one of several Black England players who received racist abuse following the Euro 2020 final.
Arsenal has consistently condemned such behaviour, calling for social media platforms and authorities to take decisive action. In the wake of the Euro 2020 incident, the club released a statement saying, “This cannot continue, and the social media platforms and authorities must act to ensure this disgusting abuse to which our players are subjected on a daily basis stops now.”
The dropping of this particular investigation is a setback, and it also underscores the urgent need for social media companies to take more responsibility in combating online hate and ensuring that perpetrators are held accountable for their actions, regardless of their location.
Equality think-tank British Future’s Sunder Katwala, said: “When the police want to act, it is enormously disappointing if X are refusing to facilitate the effort to prosecute and show that extreme racial hatred should carry consequences.”
