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“ What those young Black men face is a cultural issue, not an algorithmic one, and it's similar to OPINION
the United States, Canada and even most European countries, where centuries of systemic racism
still have significant impact, and politicians mine racism as a weapon.

Editorial

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The International Olympic Committee
should postpone this summer’s Tokyo Games
or cancel them altogether.
It’s the only responsible thing to do as the
coronavirus threat continues unabated
throughout most of the world.
The Japanese government recently expanded
emergency measures to combat what top
health experts acknowledge is a fourth wave
of COVID-19 cases there.
It closed restaurants, bars, movie theaters
and department stores in Tokyo and banned
spectators from attending sporting events.
Yet the IOC continues to plow ahead. Almost
11,000 athletes and hundreds of coaches and
officials from 200 countries are already
setting in the Olympic Village. It’s reckless. Hatred, Racism winning with
When the IOC in March 2020 postponed
plans to hold the Games last summer, it said
the delay would ensure they would serve this British soccer. Don't blame Twitter;
summer as a beacon of hope for the end of
the pandemic.
The emergence of highly contagious Blame the Culture.
coronavirus variants and the slow progress of
vaccinations makes that impossible.
Proceeding with the Games risks making the
Tokyo Olympics one of the worst When three Black English soccer players "You don’t get to stoke the fire at the
superspreader events in history. missed spot-kicks Sunday in a penalty beginning of the tournament by
Consider the implications of the current IOC shootout -- following a 1-1 tie with Italy labeling our anti-racism message as
plan: Thousands of athletes and coaches in the Euro 2020 final -- a number of Opinion ‘Gesture Politics’ and then pretend to be
from around the world would interact for Black friends, and Black people on disgusted when the very thing we’re
two weeks with each other and staff Twitter, all had the same reaction: Those Mike Freeman, USA TODAY campaigning against, happens,"
members from the host country. Then they three men are going to face incredible tweeted defender Tyrone Mings to a
would go home to reunite with families and racial abuse. member of the Conservative Party, who
friends. The thought must send chills down That's exactly what happened, and it was had earlier blasted the players.
the spines of public health officials. entirely predictable. Marcus Rashford condemn the booing, thus seeding the English soccer has gotten better since its
The IOC said Friday that it would offer and Jadon Sancho, 23 and 21, ground for potential abuse later. hooligan days, but there was clearly a
vaccine doses to athletes and visitors before respectively, and Bukayo Saka, who is Johnson's political opposition told the building up to a moment like this. All
they arrive in Japan. But without a just 19, faced such intense online abuse media after the Italy game that that was needed was a match.
vaccination requirement, the threat remains it's prompted police investigations in " i n a c t i o n s o f l e a d e r s h a v e Should social media do more to stop
too significant to ignore. the UK. consequences." online racist abuse? Of course.
The vaccination offer was the latest attempt In the aftermath of another ugly and Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour Party, The problem is racism is both
by Olympic officials to counter serious racial moment in English soccer, there's added that Johnson, "Failed the test of embedded in the UK culture (and
concerns from residents of Japan. That’s lots of hand-wringing, and blaming, of leadership because whatever he says America's), while simultaneously
right. The public there largely opposes social media. Twitter and other today about racism, he had a simple significant swaths of the country don't
allowing the Games to begin July 23. mediums are of course part of the choice at the beginning of this believe systemic racism exists. I mean
A recent poll showed 72% of Japan’s problem, but the issue is far deeper. The tournament in relation to the booing of Hell, in the U.S., some of us don't even
residents favoured either postponing or issue is cultural. The issue is a purely those who were taking the knee. The want to teach the history of racism.
canceling the games. An online petition human one. prime minister failed to call that out, Before Twitter can clean up its mess,
calling on the Japanese government to call Hatred always seems to find an and the actions and inactions of leaders human beings have to clean up ours.
off the Games collected 230,000 signatures unending source of fuel. It defeats have consequences, so I'm afraid the Significant parts of the English soccer
in only two days. And Reuters reported last hashtags, speeches and common sense. prime minister's words today ring fanbase don't see soccer as a place for
week that a survey of more than 1,000 It inhabits outhouses and White hollow." anti-hate gestures, the way some NFL
Japanese doctors showed 75% believed it was Houses. It's on Main Street and What those young Black men face is a fans didn't want to see Kaepernick take a
better to postpone the Games. Downing Street. It's the most potent cultural issue, not an algorithmic one, knee.
The opposition is understandable. While enemy today; more contagious than any and it's similar to the United States, The UK government may care a little but
nearly one-third of Americans have been virus and more threatening than any where centuries of systemic racism still not enough. There are anti-hate groups
fully vaccinated, only about 2% of Japan’s asteroid. Hatred is so consuming that it have significant impact, and politicians working tirelessly to drain this swamp.
population of 125 million have received their takes a wonderful game like soccer -- a mine racism as a weapon. Twitter says it has removed thousands of
first shot. pure, beautiful game -- and transforms Donald Trump did it here. Last month, tweets and permanently banned some
Japan has not seen the case rates experienced it into something ugly. Johnson’s spokesman, when asked accounts. Yet Twitter has done
in the United States, India and Brazil. But Hatred is unbeaten because we keep about the booing and why Johnson something like this before, and the
the country’s health officials have expressed helping it win despite the fact it doesn't didn't condemn it, said the prime racist incidents keep happening.
concern that the Olympics could put need our assistance. minister is “more focused on action There's a mural that was created for
residents at unnecessary risk and exacerbate No American has the right to point rather than gestures.” By saying that, Rashford in Manchester for his
the current concerning trends. Daily cases fingers at the UK and its problem with Johnson's spokesman was essentially charitable work, mainly pushing the
have been increasing since early March, and race. Hell, we elected a white nationalist encouraging fans who were booing to government to provide free lunches for
the daily death toll has increased steadily as president, and hundreds of white keep doing so. people during the pandemic. It was
since early April. nationalists tried to overthrow Gary Neville, a former Manchester vandalized. It's since been covered with
The legitimate public health concerns democracy. We are having our own United player and now a TV broadcaster, pictures, hearts and words of
should outweigh the financial concerns battles with race here. said he wasn’t surprised the three encouragement from members of the
driving the IOC, which generates about 75% But what happened in the UK will seem players were targeted. community, but the fact it was defiled
of its revenues from network agreements to strikingly familiar to people in the U.S. “The prime minister said it was OK for says a lot about where we are, and it's not
broadcast the Olympics, including an The English team has been a strong anti- the population of this country to boo a good place.
estimated $4 billion from the last Summer racist force, taking a knee before games those players who are trying to promote The Black players, in many ways, were
and Winter Games. to highlight the problem with racism, equality and defend against racism,” he effectively alone and facing remarkable
The IOC has an obligation to put public the same way Colin Kaepernick did, and said on Sky News. “It starts at the very levels of vile, guttural racism.
safety before profits this summer and each time, it was booed. top, and so for me, I wasn’t surprised in That's because of us. All of us.
postpone or cancel the Tokyo Olympics. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, at the the slightest that I woke up this morning Not because of Twitter.
start of the Euro tournament, wouldn't to those headlines.” Mike Freeman, USA TODAY

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