The Witch Hunt Continues

[Canary42]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/57393217

Another cricketer who had teenage twitter problems.

The stupid thing is, this sort of historical (and hysterical) "crusade" will actually make the situation worse as racists stir up an inevitable backlash (as exampled on this forum).

Racism will be defeated by education, not ramming age-old transgressions down everyone's throat.

[William51]

I agree completely. Yes, they did wrong, should be fined £1000 and that be the end of it.

[ichkeria]

It’s not there forever tho is it: tweets can be deleted.
It’s rather difficult to say too much without seeing what had actually been posted but Robinson was an adult when he posted those things: if at the end if this he really is permanently disowned then of course that works be unacceptable: but he’s Jeremy suspended pending investigation. I don’t think that is unreasonable as far as it goes and to be honest while it they have been well meaning, I don’t think the comments by the culture secretary or the PM are helpful.
Any more so than the pretty outrageous comments by some Tory MPs about the England team and knee taking

[ichkeria]

“ if the end of this he really is permanently banned then of course that would be unacceptable: but he’s merely suspended pending investigation”

[MartinMillar]

Exactly ick!
For those that are saying he was under 16 when he wrote what’s he wrote and that as he ages his views may change - did you have the same feelings towards the 15 year old that joined isis and became a child bride?
No? I wonder why!

[Llanfair]

You are not seriously connecting the two, are you, MartinMillar? Ridiculous! You don't really need to me to explain why it is ridiculous, do you?

[naomi24]

I think she is. :o/

[naomi24]

William, he shouldn't be fined at all. People who go delving into people's past lives just to muddy the waters need to take a good look at themselves.

[MartinMillar]

Yes I am!

[davebro]

I think Shamima Begum went quite a bit further than posting a handful of offensive comments on social media.

[Mozz71]

Who you going to use next as a comparison Martin? The killers of James Bulger?

Such a stupid comparison. These cricketers haventbroken any laws or hooked up with terrorist organisations, the posted an idiotic tweet when in their teens. An apology is all that is required in my opinion.

[ichkeria]

Just to day: he was 18+ and it wasn’t just one tweet.
Like I say, I hope and trust common sense will prevail as he seems genuinely to have put it all behind him but it’s very naive to think it can just be ignored

[Ellipsis]

If somebody expresses racist views in the past, on social media, in an account that's clearly identified as being them, then if you employ those people, as the ECB does, ...

You should ask if they still hold those views
What evidence there is that they have changed those views
Why they haven't deleted those past views (if possible)
Whether there's anything else you haven't uncovered

Employing people whose only expressed views on race are racist, to work alongside people (e.g. black members of the England cricket squad), is bound to be of interest to an employer like the ECB.

[sp1814]

Ellipsis

I understand that the ECB have suspended Ollie Robinson pending the outcome of a disciplinary investigation - so it's likely those questions will be raised and answered.

Canary42:

"Racism will be defeated by education"

Hopefully.

[Mozz71]

How exactly do you "prove" you don't have racist views ellipsis? The best anyone can do is to show that the offending posts were a one off and be open with your social media history. I still think that a public apology and a suspended ban (pending that no further offensive social media entries are made) is a sufficient penalty.

I wonder how many other celebrities are crapping themselves about their archaic tweets right now?

[andy-hughes]

ich - // The ECB had no choice but to do something about it but it will all blow over. //

Yes they did.

They could have said that actions carried out before a player was under their jurisdiciton are nothing to do with them - which is actually the truth of the matter.

[andy-hughes]

ich - // Just to day: he was 18+ and it wasn’t just one tweet. //

Did you become a mature far-sighted responsible adult the day after you turned eighteen?

I didn't and I doubt many of the finger-pointers getting into this pointless witch hunt did either.

[Zacs-Master]

'Racism will be defeated by education'

People have been saying this for decades now and there doesn't seem to have been much improvement!

[brainiac]

There must be a lot of very worried footballers and rugby players right now.....

[andy-hughes]

Ellipsis - // You should ask if they still hold those views
What evidence there is that they have changed those views
Why they haven't deleted those past views (if possible)
Whether there's anything else you haven't uncovered //

First of all, if asked if he still holds 'racist views', what do you think Mr Robinson is going to say?

Yes I do / No I don't / I don't know.

What evidence there is that he has changed those views?

I never held those views in the first place / I haven't changed my views at all, even though they weren;t my views, I was too immature to actually have a view / I haven't changed my views, I hate black people, live with it.

Why he hasn't deleted those past views (if possible)

Can you remember an offensive joke you told ten years ago? Nor me / I didn't imagine in a free society than a day would ever dawn where I would be made to explain something I wrote as a teanger / I forgot all about it.

// Whether there's anything else you haven't uncovered //

I had forgotten about this, so I am unlikely to remember anything else from ten years ago / If there is it comes under the same catagory - stupid behaviour from a stupid youth since grown out of /I have no idea it was ten years ago, if it matters that much, go a-trawling and let me know what you find.

You are doing a fine job of exposing just how ridiculous this 'investigation' is - and the people who are daft enough to be doing it.

[ichkeria]

How do you know the investigation is ridiculous?
The ECB will almost certainly come to the conclusion you have. But all these people are closer to the thing than we are. The harrumphing in my view is uncalled for