Celebrities, politicians, and even members of the Royal Family are speaking out after several of the England football team have been hit with racist abuse online.
Last night, the England men's team came up short against Italy in the UEFA Euro 2020 finals.
Despite Wembley Stadium coming unglued when Luke Shaw put England 1-0 up after just two minutes, Italy were eventually able to equalize in the second half, and the game eventually came down to penalties.
Italy would claim the victory, with a final score of 3-2 on penalties.
Despite an amazing performance, 23-year-old Marcus Rashford, 21-year-old Jadon Sancho, and 19-year-old Bukayo Saka were unsuccessful for England in the shootout - with Saka carrying the weight of a nation on his young shoulders as he took the final kick of the tournament.
And regardless of their incredible efforts and contributions both on and off of the pitch, sadly, these three players have been met with a torrent of racist abuse from online trolls.
Fortunately, this small minority of England "fans" are being silenced by an overwhelming outpouring of support from supporters - the list, of which, contains many big names.
Future king Prince William has taken to Twitter to share his response to the abuse, writing: "I am sickened by the racist abuse aimed at England players after last night’s match.
"It is totally unacceptable that players have to endure this abhorrent behavior. It must stop now and all those involved should be held accountable. W"
The ever-outspoken Piers Morgan also shared his response for the young players, writing on Twitter: "When England’s players took the knee last night, I was pleased to hear loud applause drown out a few boos.
"Then our black stars get horrifically racially abused after the game. This is why they take the knee. This is why I support them in taking the knee."
Speaking on Good Morning Britain this morning, presenter Richard Medeley condemned the vile comments, and called for legal action to be taken. He said: "It’s not enough just to decry it and call it disgusting. We have to track these people down, and it is possible through IP addresses.
"We need to spend some time and some money to get these guys and to lock them away."
Former England star-turned-commentator Gary Lineker also shared his thoughts, tweeting: "Booing and racially abusing the fine young men that play for our country and have given us so much pleasure and joy over the last month is not being an @england fan. That goes for the pathetic fighting at the ground too. It’s a minority but it’s a loud one and it’s embarrassing."
And UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson slammed the racist trolls, writing on his personal Twitter account: "This England team deserve to be lauded as heroes, not racially abused on social media.
"Those responsible for this appalling abuse should be ashamed of themselves."
And the support continued:
These young players are not only incredibly talented, but they've done England proud throughout the Euros 2020. To attack them over a football game is ridiculous. However, it is somewhat comforting to see the overwhelming support thoroughly drowning out the trolls.
