Newcastle star Willock says he receives racist abuse on social media every day
The 21-year-old has said he still intends on using the platforms because he doesn't want to cut off his connection with fans.
Newcastle midfielder Joe Willock has said he receives racist abuse on social media on a daily basis.
Willock, who recently completed a £25 million ($35m) transfer from Arsenal, said that despite the abuse, he still wants to use social media to connect with fans.
The 21-year-old did call upon social media companies to do more to combat racism on their platforms.
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What was said?
"Every day I get messages," Willock told BBC Radio Newcastle. "Messages saying about my color or different things that are disgusting, really.
"There's not much you can do – you just have to try and ignore it. I don't think Instagram, Facebook and Twitter have put up enough of a fight for us to do anything else.
"I feel like the only thing you can do in this day and age is just ignore it and try to put it at the back of your head.
"It comes up on your phone and they have a way of direct messaging you these disgusting things and it sort of hurts. It hurts a lot - even speaking about it."
As to why he doesn't quit social media, Willock said: "If you come off social media, you lose that connection with all the wonderful fans that are supporting me every day, want to see my everyday life and see what I do and have that connection with me over the platform that they wouldn't have in real life."
Social media boycott doesn't stop abuse
Earlier this year, English clubs took a stand against racist abuse by boycotting social media for a weekend.
A statement from the Premier League said the boycott was intended "to emphasize that social media companies must do more to eradicate online hate while highlighting the importance of educating people in the ongoing fight against discrimination."
Though the boycott raised awareness of the issue, it's clear that the abuse has not stopped.
After the Euro 2020 final, Arsenal and England star Bukayo Saka said that he, along with Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho, was subject to a torrent of abuse.
"To the social media platforms Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, I don't want any child or adult to have to receive the hateful and hurtful messages that me, Marcus and Jadon have received this week," Saka said.
"I knew instantly the kind of hate I was about to receive and that is a sad reality that your powerful platforms are not doing enough to stop those messages."
Source: Goal.com
