Man Arrested for Racist Tweets to Soccer Star

by Sam Laird, mashable.com
August 27th 2012

A British man arrested this weekend for sending racist tweets to a English Premier League soccer player has been released on bail, according to reports.

The 22-year-old used Twitter to send West Ham United striker Carlton Cole, who is of African decent, a pair of disparaging messages including a racist term following West Ham's 3-0 loss to Swansea City on Saturday. Police soon arrested him for a "racially aggravated public order offence," a police spokeswoman told Reuters. Reuters also reported that Cole had retweeted the hateful comments, but they no longer show up on his timeline. Monday, the man was released on bail of an unspecified amount.

While the retweeted messages no longer appear on Cole's timeline, he did use Twitter to comment on the racial trolling:

Listen, i take racism a lot lighter than others and i do understand the banter that comes a long with it to get under peoples skin but…

— Carlton Cole (@CarltonCole1) August 25, 2012

… it can sometimes be hurtful & insulting, i don't mind when people criticise me for having a bad game or they think I'm crap at football…

— Carlton Cole (@CarltonCole1) August 25, 2012

…but just say that, whether i am crap or had a bad game has nothing to with my race, creed or religion. lets just keep it FOOTBALL. Kapeesh?

— Carlton Cole (@CarltonCole1) August 25, 2012

Cole is far from the first English soccer player to receive racial hate via Twitter, however. During the Euro 2012 international tournament in May, a man sent racist tweets to two members of the English national team after they missed crucial penalty kicks in an elimination match against Italy. In March, a student was sentenced to 56 days in jail for a racist message he posted about Bolton Wanderers star Fabrice Muamba.

Britain's public order offense laws mean much harsher punishment for Twitter trolls than in the United States. During the Summer Olympics, British diving star Tom Daley used Twitter to out a poster who sent a hateful message about his late father and the troll was later arrested.

Do you think it's reasonable to arrest Twitter users who send public figures racist tweets? Give us your take in the comments.

Thumbnail image courtesy @CarltonCole1

Original Page: http://mashable.com/2012/08/27/racist-tweets-soccer/

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