This archive report was first published on 12 May 2020.
On Monday, former Arsenal and England striker Ian Wright went public with racist abuse messages he received on social media, sparking widespread condemnation from leading anti-racism charities.
According to Wright, an Instagram user messaged him with racist taunts, including a threat to give him a 'death sentence' if he contracted COVID-19. The 56-year-old, who also played for Crystal Palace and West Ham, took to Twitter to expose the abuse.
One of the messages read: "You're like 65 years old. If I get corona I will cough in your face and give you your death sentence." Wright responded, "I know I'm not meant to look at them but these messages still hit me so hard man. This is a child!!!"
Wright's decision to go public with the abuse has been praised by anti-racism campaigners, who say it highlights the need for greater action to tackle racism on social media.
"Ian Wright has put his head above the parapet again and I saw him on Match of the Day with Gary Lineker a few weeks ago talking about the racist abuse he suffered as a player," said Ged Grebby, chief executive of Show Racism the Red Card. "I'm sure he will be more than happy to report it."
Former Aston Villa forward Gabriel Agbonlahor was also sent a racist message on Instagram on Monday, and Kick It Out has called for those who targeted him and Wright to be punished.
"We are appalled during this very trying time by the disgraceful abuse directed at Ian Wright and Gabriel Agbonlahor and their families," a statement from Kick It Out read. "Racial hate speech and violent threats are totally unacceptable but have become sadly normalised on social media."
