Labour is calling on the Government to use the upcoming Online
Safety Bill to give courts the power to ban anyone convicted of
racist abuse online from attending football matches.
Currently, Football Banning Orders do not cover offences that
take place online. The Labour Party is calling for this to change
so that online abuse is treated in the same way as racism shouted
from the terraces.
Labour has criticised the Government for refusing to back England
players’ stance against racism and resisting a crackdown on
social media companies who fail to tackle hatred on their
platforms.
As well as the extension of Football Banning Orders, the party
has called for the much-delayed Bill to:
- take strong action against anonymous abuse.
- introduce criminal sanctions for senior tech executives for
repeated failure to enforce the rules.
- introduce and enforce strong sanctions against those who
carry out the abuse in the first place.
Shadow Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and
Sport, , said:
“The racists who have been abusing England players online should
be banned from football grounds. They do not deserve to be
anywhere near a game of football.
“We need urgent action to tackle online abuse but the reality is
that the Government’s Online Safety Bill will not stop racist
abuse online.
"Labour would ensure that online abuse is treated in the same way
as racism directed at players from the terraces is, so that these
racists are brought to justice and banned from grounds.”
Ends
Notes to editors:
- Football Banning Orders, first introduced in 2000, allow
magistrates to exclude offenders from attending football matches
if they have been convicted of ‘a relevant offence’ (i.e. an
offence specified in Schedule 1 to the Football Spectators Act
1989). Currently, ‘relevant offences’ do not include offences
that take place online.
- An individual subject to a FBO is prevented from attending
regulated football matches in the UK. In addition, during a
‘control period’ for an overseas regulated football match or
tournament, the enforcing authority (Football Banning Orders
Authority, FBOA) can issue a notice to a person who is subject to
a FBO, requiring that they report to a local police station and
surrender their passport.
- A FBO lasts a minimum of 3 years and a maximum of 10 years.
- As of August 2020, there were 1,621 FBOs in force.
Football banning orders by league, from 29-Nov-11 to
01-Aug-20
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
League
|
29-Nov-11
|
09-Nov-12
|
20-Sep-13
|
03-Sep-14
|
08-Sep-15
|
01-Aug-16
|
07-Aug-17
|
01-Aug-18
|
01-Aug-19
|
01-Aug-20
|
Total football banning orders
|
3,174
|
2,731
|
2,452
|
2,273
|
2,181
|
2,085
|
1,929
|
1,822
|
1,771
|
1,621
|
Premier League clubs
|
1,037
|
952
|
984
|
848
|
802
|
617
|
507
|
492
|
488
|
453
|
Championship clubs
|
1,091
|
967
|
611
|
598
|
534
|
575
|
620
|
621
|
545
|
436
|
League One clubs
|
426
|
288
|
378
|
404
|
378
|
417
|
391
|
285
|
327
|
317
|
League Two clubs
|
326
|
297
|
277
|
203
|
204
|
250
|
250
|
271
|
289
|
268
|
National League (National Division) clubs
|
243
|
180
|
133
|
164
|
204
|
140
|
90
|
100
|
54
|
79
|
Other clubs
|
51
|
47
|
69
|
56
|
59
|
86
|
71
|
53
|
68
|
68
|
Home Office, Football banning order statistics 2019-20 season, 24
September 2020, Table 2,https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/football-related-arrests-and-banning-orders-england-and-wales-2019-to-2020-season
- There were just over 1,000 football related arrests in
2019/20. There were 35 arrests for racist or indecent chanting –
more than double the previous year’s figures and the highest in
six years.
Offence type
|
2010/11
|
2011/12
|
2012/13
|
2013/14
|
2014/15
|
2015/16
|
2016/17
|
2017/18
|
2018/19
|
2019/20
|
Total football-related arrests
|
3,089
|
2,363
|
2,456
|
2,273
|
1,873
|
1,895
|
1,638
|
1,542
|
1,381
|
1,089
|
Violent disorder
|
332
|
273
|
554
|
356
|
294
|
369
|
337
|
303
|
260
|
285
|
Public disorder
|
1,076
|
765
|
791
|
705
|
635
|
583
|
505
|
549
|
524
|
372
|
Throwing missiles
|
64
|
53
|
62
|
57
|
52
|
59
|
91
|
125
|
113
|
72
|
Racist and indecent chanting
|
44
|
23
|
42
|
21
|
33
|
17
|
7
|
15
|
14
|
35
|
Pitch incursion
|
240
|
177
|
155
|
174
|
179
|
188
|
204
|
191
|
158
|
86
|
Alcohol offences/Driving under influence of drugs
|
1,041
|
800
|
549
|
572
|
405
|
373
|
266
|
164
|
153
|
116
|
Ticket touting
|
102
|
107
|
92
|
104
|
56
|
40
|
49
|
23
|
17
|
28
|
Possession of an offensive weapon
|
38
|
13
|
17
|
13
|
7
|
17
|
14
|
10
|
10
|
5
|
Possession of pyrotechnics
|
8
|
32
|
76
|
188
|
120
|
141
|
111
|
96
|
82
|
60
|
Breach of banning order
|
74
|
58
|
58
|
42
|
43
|
36
|
19
|
21
|
20
|
15
|
Criminal damage/Offences against the property
|
70
|
62
|
60
|
41
|
49
|
72
|
35
|
45
|
30
|
15
|
Home Office, Football banning order statistics 2019-20 season, 24
September 2020, Table 6,https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/football-related-arrests-and-banning-orders-england-and-wales-2019-to-2020-season
- Reports of racist hate crime have risen sharply over the last
three years. The 214 racist hate crimes recorded in 2019/20 make
up a fifth (22%) of all incidents reported during the year – up
from one in ten three years ago.
Incident type
|
2017/18
|
2018/19
|
2019/20
|
Total fixtures with reported incidents
|
1,050
|
1,007
|
969
|
Pyrotechnics
|
423
|
335
|
309
|
Throwing missiles
|
322
|
302
|
264
|
Youth risk supporter
|
340
|
292
|
246
|
Spontaneous
|
z
|
z
|
204
|
Pitch incursion
|
227
|
194
|
151
|
Other incidents in the Stadium
|
169
|
157
|
173
|
Total hate crime
|
131
|
193
|
287
|
Hate crime - (of which) Race
|
94
|
152
|
214
|
Hate crime - (of which) Sexual Orientation
|
27
|
37
|
78
|
Hate crime - (of which) Religion
|
14
|
14
|
23
|
Hate crime - (of which) Disability
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
Hate crime - (of which) Gender Identity
|
1
|
2
|
1
|
Supporter drug use / abuse
|
102
|
127
|
103
|
Attacks on stadium staff
|
137
|
125
|
120
|
Non risk supporter
|
115
|
107
|
86
|
Segregation line
|
95
|
96
|
76
|
Organised / pre-planned disorder
|
76
|
76
|
39
|
Crowd dispersal (Section 35 of the Crime and Policing Act
2014)
|
69
|
61
|
46
|
Attack on police
|
60
|
57
|
46
|
Inappropriate chanting
|
60
|
56
|
83
|
Criminal Damage
|
83
|
49
|
54
|
Ticketing issues
|
34
|
46
|
32
|
Weapons
|
61
|
44
|
26
|
Player / club / match official behaviour
|
30
|
31
|
37
|
Affiliation with risk supporters from another domestic
club
|
6
|
8
|
6
|
Affiliation with risk supporters from another European
club
|
9
|
2
|
4
|
Stop and search (Section 60 of the Criminal Justice and
Public Order Act 1994)
|
3
|
1
|
2
|
Home Office, Football banning order statistics 2019-20 season, 24
September 2020, Table E1,https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/football-related-arrests-and-banning-orders-england-and-wales-2019-to-2020-season