Thierry Henry has been backed by former Arsenal teammate Martin Keown over his decision to remove himself from all social media in protest against racism.
Platforms such as Twitter and Instagram are under intense scrutiny for the way they deal with abuse in light of the sickening messages received by numerous footballers this season.
Last week, Manchester United midfielder Fred and Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham were sent vile abuse online, and they are just the latest in a long line of high-profile players this season.
With many users hiding behind anonymous accounts, it is all too easy to target players, and questions remain about how much is done to track down and punish those responsible, while preventing future abuse.
In order to force the issue, Arsenal legend Henry will be removing himself from all social media until something is done.
The iconic striker said in a statement: “Hi Guys. From tomorrow morning I will be removing myself from social media until the people in power are able to regulate their platforms with the same vigour and ferocity that they currently do when you infringe copyright.
“The sheer volume of racism, bullying and resulting mental torture to individuals is too toxic to ignore. There has to be some accountability.
“It is far too easy to create an account, use it to bully and harass without consequence and still remain anonymous. Until this changes, I will be disabling my accounts across all social platforms. I’m hoping this happens soon.”
Speaking on talkSPORT, fellow Gunners Invincible Keown praised his former teammate and expressed hope the boycott might force action from social media platforms.
Keown said: “Thierry Henry wants to come away from social media because of the abuse he’s getting – and that’s massive.
“That’s a really huge message and that’s maybe the best way to try to eradicate it and get change.”
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Meanwhile, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Oliver Dowden reacted to Henry’s statement by reiterating the government’s intention to crack down on social media abuse.
He said on Twitter: “No one should have to switch off social media because of abuse.
“Social media firms must do more to tackle this and we are introducing new laws to hold platforms to account. This is complex and we must get it right, but I’m absolutely determined to tackle racist abuse online.”
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