More than 100 hate crime offences have been recorded at London’s football stadiums in the past 12 months, new figures have revealed.
Between 1 June 2021 and 31 May 2022, the Metropolitan Police dealt with 83 Public Order Offences.
Of which 60 were racially or religiously aggravated, as well as 18 incidents of violence which were flagged as hate crimes – including one where the victim was injured.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan revealed the figures this week following a written question from Labour London Assembly Member Unmesh Desai.
Mr Desai, who is Labour’s London Assembly spokesperson for policing and crime, said there have been some “encouraging steps” in reporting hate crimes at football grounds but there is still “a long way to go”.
He said: “We cannot let hate turn the beautiful game ugly. Football should be enjoyed by all, regardless of race, religion or sexuality.
“It has a significant cultural influence on wider society, especially with younger people.
“All Londoners must feel safe when supporting their team, without fear of intimidation or violence and without being subjected to vile language or disgusting behaviour, as should stewards, club staff and the players themselves.”
Mr Desai added he would urge all fans to “call out hate wherever they come across it” but that authorities “must step in and make sure those responsible are held accountable”.
The figure represents an increase in the number of hate crimes previously reported to police at football stadiums in the capital.
Compared to the 101 incidents reported in the past year, there were 116 hate crime offences reported to police between January 2015 and January 2018 at London’s football stadiums.
A report from anti-racism campaign Kick it Out found in 2018 half of all fans surveyed had witnessed racist abuse at a football game while only 40 per cent knew how to report it.
An estimated 150,000 football fans attend games across London every week during the regular football season, demonstrating significant under-reporting.
While there has been an increase in the number of racism arrests made at football grounds over the past six seasons, campaigners have called for more to be done to tackle online racism directed at footballers on social media.
A total of 11 people were arrested last summer for racially abusing England players Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka following England’s defeat to Italy in the European Championship final.
But more than 600 social media posts were reported to police for racist and offensive content following the game, with 207 of them deemed to be criminal.
Earlier this year, the Home Office announced football banning orders would be extended to cover online hate offences.
This means online trolls could be banned from attending games for up to 10 years in England and Wales.
