The Duke of Cambridge held an emergency meeting with campaigners and figureheads to discuss plans on how to tackle racism in football. Prince William is the President of the Football Association and urged for a “root and branch” assessment of how players and fans can deal with racists.
The Duke claimed that more pressure needs to be placed on the tech giants to tackle the issue.
On Tuesday, the royal spoke to the CEO of the FA, Mark Bullingham, to talk over plans for an inquiry into racism in football.
It came just days after Prince William issued a statement in which he said “we all have a responsibility” to put an end to racism.
The Duke also spoke to race campaigner and chairman of Kick It Out Sanjay Bhandari.
A source told the Mirror about how Prince William was “absolutely outraged” at the abuse fans and players receive, often through social media platforms.
The source said: “There were constructive and passionate conversations with both men outlining their plans for the future on what needs to be done to root out the evil of abuse on and off the pitch.
“The Duke said he was absolutely outraged at the abuse, he said ‘enough is enough’ and promised to do all can in his role as President of the FA and beyond to stamp such vile behaviour out.
“William believes there needs to be more cohesion from the FA, the clubs and big tech companies to have as strong a stance as possible to end such hate.”
READ MORE: William blamed for ‘tension’ after ‘baffling hypocrisy’ with Meghan
“So sorry if you were looking for a strong reaction, you’re just simply not going to get it here.”
Prince William is said to believe platforms including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter have been great in bringing people together but need to be held accountable.
A source told the Mirror: “The Duke wants to use his platform to bring these companies and campaign groups together to identify ways in which there is collective responsibility on the platforms to eradicate racism and hate speech.”
In 2016, the Duke aimed to create a safer space online by bringing the world’s leading tech firms together to build an online code of conduct called ‘Stop, Speak, Support’.
The source added: “Great strides have been made to educate people on the terraces but now the challenge is against the so called keyboard warriors.”
On Sunday, Prince William issued a personal message on Kensington Palace’s Twitter page.
The Duke said racism is “despicable” and that abusers should be held accountable for their actions.
He said: “Racist abuse – whether on the pitch, in the stands, or on social media – is despicable and it must stop now.
“We all have a responsibility to create an environment where such abuse is not tolerated, and those who choose to spread hate and division are held accountable for their actions. That responsibility extends to the platforms where so much of this activity now takes place.
“I commend all those players, supporters, clubs and organisations who continue to call out and condemn this abuse in the strongest terms.”
