The eSafety Commission has launched a new video calling on followers of the Australian Football League (AFL) and its female competition (AFLW) to stand up to racism and end the damaging cycle of online abuse often directed at players
The video is the next phase in an online safety campaign #PlayFairOnline, launched by the eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant and the AFL in June.
Ms Inman Grant said Indigenous Australians experienced online abuse, including hate speech and racial slurs, at a much higher rate than the rest of the population and what the Commission was seeing play out online in the AFL was, unfortunately, a reflection of what was happening in wider society.
“eSafety has just released new research that shows that at-risk groups in our community, like Indigenous Australians, are targeted much more online than the rest of us and this abuse has a huge emotional and mental impact,” Ms Inman Grant said.
“For Indigenous players, the abuse doesn’t just stay on the field, it follows them into the change rooms and when this abuse moves online, it follows them into their homes and sometimes targets their families,” she said.
“Online racism, misogyny, and targeted abuse should be a no-go zone.”
Ms Inman Grant said that in the video the players talk directly to the fans about how the abuse impacted them.
“It’s our hope that we all stop for a minute and really listen to what the players have to say,” she said.
“I truly believe with the help of the clubs, the players and the fans, together we can change the game.”
She said the new video, launched during the AFL’s 2020 Sir Doug Nicholls Round, features Richmond stars Shai Bolton and Sydney Stack; GWS Giants defender Nick Haynes; Sydney Swan’s Aliir Aliir; West Coast captain Luke Shuey; Gold Coast Suns midfielder Hugh Greenwood; and Carlton’s AFLW stars, Madison Prespakis, Darcy Vescio and Tayla Harris.
The one-minute video can be accessed at this PS News link. Note it contains sound.
