BEIRUT: England’s Bukayo Saka said popular social media platforms aren’t doing enough to prevent online racist abuse after he was on the receiving end following his missed penalty in Sunday’s European Championship final against Italy.
Substitutes Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Saka all missed spot kicks in the 3-2 shootout loss to Italy and Saka — who was reduced to tears after the final — penned an apology to the fans as the country’s 55-year trophy drought was extended.
Saka, 19, thanked those who sent him messages of support and campaigned on his behalf, saying: “Love always wins,” but vowed to stand strong against the hateful messages he received online.
“My reaction post-match said it all, I was hurting so much and I felt like I’d let you all and my England family down, but I can promise you this: I will not let that moment or the negativity that I’ve received this week break me,” Saka said on Twitter.
“To the social media platforms Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, I don’t want any child or adult to have to receive the hateful and hurtful messages that me, Marcus and Jadon have received this week.
“I knew instantly the kind of hate that I was about to receive and that is a sad reality that your powerful platforms are not doing enough to stop these messages.”
The three Black players were targeted on social media after the final, with the racial abuse prompting a police investigation and country-wide condemnation.
Rashford and Sancho had also apologies earlier this week, with Sancho saying he was not surprised by the racist abuse that followed.
British police said four people have been arrested over online racist abuse aimed at England’s players while a hate crime investigation led by the UK Football Policing Unit is under way.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has promised to tackle online abuse, but he and other ministers have been accused of hypocrisy for not condemning those who booed the players at the start of the tournament for their “taking the knee” anti-racism protest.
England’s Saka urges social media companies to step up fight against abuse
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England’s Saka urges social media companies to step up fight against abuse
- Saka penned an apology to the fans as the country's 55-year trophy drought was extended
- The three Black players Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Saka were targeted on social media after the final
Paris exhibition marks 200 years of Le Figaro and the enduring power of the press
- The exhibition celebrated the bicentennial of Le Figaro, offering visitors a rare opportunity to step inside the newspaper’s vast historical archive
PARIS: One of France’s most influential newspapers marked a major milestone this month with a landmark exhibition beneath the soaring glass nave of the Grand Palais, tracing two centuries of journalism, literature and political debate.
Titled 1826–2026: 200 years of freedom, the exhibition celebrated the bicentennial of Le Figaro, offering visitors a rare opportunity to step inside the newspaper’s vast historical archive. Held over three days in mid-January, the free exhibition drew large crowds eager to explore how the title has both chronicled and shaped modern French history.
More than 300 original items were displayed, including historic front pages, photographs, illustrations and handwritten manuscripts. Together, they charted Le Figaro’s evolution from a 19th-century satirical publication into a leading national daily, reflecting eras of revolution, war, cultural change and technological disruption.
The exhibition unfolded across a series of thematic spaces, guiding visitors through defining moments in the paper’s past — from its literary golden age to its role in political debate and its transition into the digital era. Particular attention was paid to the newspaper’s long association with prominent writers and intellectuals, underscoring the close relationship between journalism and cultural life in France.
Beyond the displays, the program extended into live journalism. Public editorial meetings, panel discussions and film screenings invited audiences to engage directly with editors, writers and media figures, turning the exhibition into a forum for debate about the future of the press and freedom of expression.
Hosted at the Grand Palais, the setting itself reinforced the exhibition’s ambition: to place journalism firmly within the country’s cultural heritage. While the exhibition has now concluded, the bicentennial celebrations continue through special publications and broadcasts, reaffirming Le Figaro’s place in France’s public life — and the enduring relevance of a free and questioning press in an age of rapid change.
