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Skin color or a switch to a rival are not the only reasons that Ajax players receive hate comments. The Ajax Women also experience these types of reactions with some regularity. ‘Lesbian gunman’ or ‘what is that man doing in the video’ are examples of this. “I’m especially afraid that the generation growing up now will find it normal that you can say anything about anyone,” Kay-Lee de Sanders responds. The defender doesn’t understand it either. “Why would you want to destroy someone like that on the internet?”
Report
But Ajax players are no exceptions in receiving these types of hate messages. There are thousands of examples of people who face threats, discrimination or intimidation via the internet every day. With the campaign, Ajax wants to start a conversation about the impact of these types of reactions on the recipients and what can be done about it.
Research shows that 82 percent of Dutch people are bothered by these types of messages, but that many of them do not take the simple step to combat it: reporting it. The club therefore asks supporters to do so when they see the hate messages. “The more we report hate messages as a community, the more we encourage the platforms to take action. By indicating our boundaries together, we make social media a better place for ourselves and for the future.”
Declare
The chief public prosecutor in Amsterdam already indicated in 2019 that hate comments and insults via the internet are a threat social problem goods. In addition, people were urged to continue reporting the crime, even though it is not certain whether a prosecution can be initiated. “I think it is socially relevant that we show that people are crossing the border. We are doing everything we can, but that does not mean that it will immediately be successful under criminal law.”