Chelsea
have banned an individual for 10 years for sending antisemitic and offensive
messages on social media.
Sam Mole, 20, from Kettering, was charged with sending racially or
religiously aggravated malicious communications relating to a series of
abusive tweets to freelance journalist Dan Levene in October 2019.
He appeared at Leicester Magistrates Court in February but was found not
guilty, as he posted the tweets while on holiday in Australia - therefore,
deemed outside of the UK jurisdiction.
He was handed a three-year restraining order prohibiting him from directly
or indirectly contacting Levene, posting messages about him on social media
or encouraging others to do so.
As reported in February by the
Daily Mail, Judge Nick Watson told
Mole: "The law prohibits me from punishing you."
He described it as "unpalatable" that Mole had "escaped the consequences of
his actions even though the impact of the offence was clearly felt".
Judge Watson added: "Most would think sending them should be an offence,
whether the sender is in this country or abroad.
"You can regard yourself as fortunate the law prohibits me from punishing
you for an offence most people would say for which you should be punished."
Since the conclusion of court proceedings, Chelsea have conducted an
internal investigation and have decided to ban the 20-year-old from the club
for the next 10 years.
A Chelsea statement on Friday read: "Following the conclusion of court
proceedings in February, the club conducted our own investigation into the
matter and has taken the decision to ban the individual from Chelsea FC for
a period of 10 years.
"Everybody at Chelsea is proud to be part of a diverse club. Our players,
staff, fans and visitors to the club come from a wide range of backgrounds,
including the Jewish community, and we want to ensure everyone feels safe,
valued and included. We will not tolerate any behaviour from supporters that
threatens that aim.
"More broadly, we are clear that there can be no place in our game, nor our
society, for racism, antisemitism, homophobia, sexism or any form of
discrimination. In sport, as in wider society, we must create a social media
environment where hateful and discriminatory actions are as unacceptable
online as they would be on the street.
"As a club, we will continue to take action against individuals or groups
who produce or disseminate social media posts that contravene these values."
On Friday, Manchester United announced they have banned six individuals
after they abused Tottenham's Heung-Min Son on social media following their
Premier League clash on 11 April.
Three season ticket holders, two official members and one individual on the
season ticket waiting list have been handed suspensions from the club,
subject to appeal.
It came as the Old Trafford club announced they have found a 350 per cent
increase in online abuse towards their players since September 2019.
Sky Sports to join social media boycott
Sky Sports is supporting the boycott of social media by football and the
wider sporting community this weekend.
Sky Sports will not post any sports content to its channels on Facebook,
Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and Tik Tok for the duration of the
boycott period from 3pm on Friday April 30 until 11.59pm on Monday May 3.
Sky Sports stands with our football, cricket and other sport partners to
urge social media companies to do more to eradicate online hate and ensure
social media can be a place for sports fans to discuss, debate and consume
the best sporting action without discrimination and abuse.
Sky's partnership with Kick It Out is based on fighting discrimination and
championing inclusion, and our action this weekend demonstrates our clear
and enduring commitment to the cause.
Sky Sports TV channels, website (skysports.com) and two apps (Sky Sports app
and Sky Sports Scores app) will remain the go-to destinations for sports
fans to keep up to date with all the action, scores and sporting news
throughout this exciting weekend of sport.
Hate Won't Stop Us
Sky Sports is committed to making our channels a safe place for
debate, free of abuse, hate and profanity. If you see a reply to
Sky
Sports posts and / or content with an expression of hate on the basis
of race, colour, gender, nationality, ethnicity, disability, religion,
sexuality, age or class please copy the URL to the hateful post or
screengrab it and email us here.
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