According to a new report from leading Spanish media outlet Confidential, Spain's national police recently arrested four people who were charged with incitement to hatred for allegedly inciting racial discrimination against Real Madrid player Vinicius on social media on the eve of the Madrid derby last month.
According to the police, the four men actively launched a hate propaganda campaign on social media, encouraging fans going to the stadium to make insulting and discriminatory remarks with racial connotations during the match. However, the initiative was not widely supported by Atlético de Madrid fans. Nonetheless, the massive spread of the campaign on social media quickly made it a trending topic in the days leading up to the match, triggering a major social alert. According to statistics, the topic received nearly 1.7 billion views and almost 56,000 interactions, and was widely covered by national and international media.
The investigation began on Oct. 1, stemming from three complaints received by the Spanish Professional Football League about hate propaganda on social media. In their complaints, La Liga stated that the individuals were encouraging fans on social media to hurl insults of a racial nature and discriminatory chants at opposing players during matches. In addition, they suggested that fans wear masks to avoid identification by the police, but this suggestion received little response and was not taken up on the day of the match.
In the statement, the police emphasized that the campaign had become a hot issue of concern due to its wide spread and adverse social impact. The police said that they would continue to conduct in-depth investigations and crack down on any form of racial discrimination, so as to maintain the fairness, impartiality and good order of soccer matches.
