Hate speech online has escalated to unprecedented levels. Matthew Williams, a professor of criminology, is shining a scientific light on who is behind it and why
In a slightly creaky, book-filled office at Cardiff University, Matthew Williams pulls up a blood-red graph on his computer. At first glance you might think it referred to stock market fortunes, but when I peer closely, the sad truth behind its jagged peaks becomes clear: it traces the amount of anti-Black hate speech recorded on Twitter in the aftermath of last July’s Euro 2020 final, when England lost to Italy in a nail-biting penalty shootout.
After missed penalties from three Black England players, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka, racist abuse “went through the roof”, says Williams. Within the hour there was an almost 700% increase in hate directed against those players. Half of the 20,000 toxic tweets came from within the UK; the police made 11 arrests for hate crimes, four of which have resulted in prosecutions.
