Marcus Rashford speaks out after racist social media abuse in the wake of Man Utd’s 0-0 draw against Arsenal
MARCUS RASHFORD has hit out at vile racists in the wake of Manchester United’s draw with Arsenal.
The striker, 23, revealed on Twitter that he had been targeted on social media and bravely stood up to the trolls.
He said: “Humanity and social media at its worst. Yes I’m a black man and I live every day proud that I am.
“No one, or no one comment, is going to make me feel any different. So sorry if you were looking for a strong reaction, you’re just simply not going to get it here
“I’m not sharing screenshots. It would be irresponsible to do so and as you can imagine there’s nothing original in them.
“I have beautiful children of all colours following me and they don’t need to read it. Beautiful colours that should only be celebrated.
“In nicer news, @arsenal thank you for the match day programme, really lovely touch that was appreciated. Although I would have felt better if we’d taken the 3 points..”
Rashford’s team-mates Anthony Martial and Axel Tuanzebe were targeted with sick racist abuse following their side’s defeat to Sheffield United.
After those incidents, the club issued a statement emphasising their commitment to fighting racism and vowing to try and identify the ‘mindless idiots’.
It read: “Everyone at Manchester United is disgusted by the racial abuse received by players via social media after last night’s game.
“We utterly condemn it and it is encouraging to see other fans condemn this on social media also.
“Manchester United has zero tolerance of any form of racism or discrimination and a long-standing commitment to campaigning against it through our All Red All Equal initiative.
“Identifying these anonymous mindless idiots remains problematic. We urge social media platforms and regulatory authorities to strengthen measures to prevent this kind of behaviour.”
Boss Solskjaer added: “It’s just incredible we have these scenes still, this abuse in 2021.
“We’ve been campaigning for a long time now with the Premier League and I think it’s working but there are still some people that haven’t got it.
“They hide behind social media, be anonymous and it’s unacceptable and it’s disgusting.
“They’re not Man United fans when this happens. You have to feel sorry for these individuals.
“The players and everyone, we’ve spoken to each other and they’re fine.
“We’re all standing behind every single one of our players.”
Rashford has shown maturity beyond his years in recent times as he became a prominent spokesman in the fight to end child hunger.
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And he has also used his position as a football icon to speak out on other social issues.
United’s strikers had an off day against an under-strength Gunners as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side failed to close the gap to table-topping rivals Manchester City.
The Red Devils host Southampton on Tuesday looking to bounce back.