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England ace Tyrone Mings says Priti Patel 'stoked the fire' of racism

13/07/2021

‘You don’t get to stoke the fire and then pretend to be disgusted at racist abuse’: England ace Tyrone Mings slams Priti Patel after she condemns attacks on Three Lions stars – as Boris tells trolls to ‘get back under your rocks’

Ministers blasted racism directed towards Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho after Euro 2020 final
Prior to the tournament, Home Secretary Priti Patel slammed ‘gesturing’ players for taking knee before games
She also said in an interview that England fans had a right to boo players who took part in anti-racism ‘gesture’
Today Tyrone Mings shared Ms Patel’s tweet describing the abuse directed at England stars as ‘disgusting’
But the defender criticised Ms Patel, saying her earlier comments had ‘stoked the fire’ of racism among fans
PM Boris Johnson told racists: ‘Shame on you, I hope you crawl back under the rock from which you emerged’

England star Tyrone Mings tonight launched an astonishing broadside at Priti Patel by accusing the Home Secretary of ‘stoking the fire’ of racism by labelling the team’s taking of the knee as ‘gesture politics’.

The Three Lions ace said the Conservative minister had ‘no right’ to condemn the online abuse against fellow stars Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka.

The trio faced a barrage of vile comments from racist online trolls after missing penalties in last night’s heartbreaking Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy.

Today Ms Patel described the abuse of England’s stars as ‘disgusting’, as she joined the nationwide condemnation of those behind the messages.

But, replying to the Tweet, the England defender said: ‘You don’t get to stoke the fire at the beginning of the tournament by labelling our anti-racism message as “Gesture Politics” and then pretend to be disgusted when the very thing we’re campaigning against, happens.’

The Home Secretary had said prior to the tournament that she ‘did not support’ those engaging in ‘that type of gesture politics’, when asked if she supported stars taking the knee.

And she said it was up to fans whether they booed the gesture during England’s Euro 2020 campaign.

The comments by Mings come as his teammate Rashford today said he was left ‘close to tears’ after well-wishers covered graffiti sprayed on his Manchester mural with loving notes in the wake of his Euro 2020 penalty heartache.

Meanwhile, England captain Harry Kane tonight sent his own message to those behind the vile racist abuse of England stars in the wake of last night’s heartbreaking Euro 2020 final defeat by saying: ‘We don’t want you.’

The latest in the football racism row comes as:

Estate agents Savills launched an investigation over claims a member of staff sent a vile racist message
Roads and railways were deserted as England fans sleep off hangovers or stay at home to mourn loss
There was an outpouring of sympathy for Bukayo Saka – a star of the tournament at just 19 – who missed the final penalty having stepped up ahead of more experienced teammates;
A security inquest came after riot police were brought into London’s West End after thousands of football fans took to the streets and large crowds attempted to push into the fan zone in Trafalgar Square without tickets;
Violence also broke out inside Wembley after dozens of fans with no tickets somehow managed to force their way into the national stadium.
Facebook – which owns Instagram – said it tried to remove harmful content as quickly as possible
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden warned social media firms need to up their game or else the new Online Safety Bill would hold them to account with fines of up to 10 per cent of global revenue
Boris Johnson told the racist abusers: ‘I say shame on you and I hope you will crawl back under the rock from which you emerged’
Zara Tindall even ‘wiped blood from Wembley seat after husband Mike broke up fight between two England fans in the stands while scores of families described their children being terrified as brawls broke out;

England star Tyrone Mings (pictured taking the knee during a friendly against Romania in June) tonight launched an astonishing broadside at Priti Patel by accusing the Home Secretary of ‘stoking the fire’ of racism by labelling the team’s taking of the knee as ‘gesture politics’

Prior to the tournament, the Home Secretary had said she ‘did not support’ those engaging in ‘that type of gesture politics’ when asked if she supported stars taking the knee

A Tory backbencher was forced to backtrack today after a horrific own goal attack on England star Marcus Rashford over his missed Euro 2020 penalty.

Dover MP Natalie Elphicke suggested the Manchester United star should have practised spot kicks instead of campaigning for free meals for deprived schoolchildren during lockdown.

She made the remark in a Tory MP WhatsApp group after the Three Lions’ Euro 2020 defeat on penalties to Italy at Wembley last night.

Manchester United striker Rashford was one of three England players to miss in the deciding shoot-out in the Three Lions’ first major final in 55 years.

In a message first revealed by GB News, Mrs Elphicke told other Tories: ‘They lost – would it be ungenerous to suggest Rashford should have spent more time perfecting his game and less time playing politics.(sic)’

But today, after her comments were leaked and widely criticised she took to Twitter to heap praise on the team.

‘Last night I shared the frustration and heartbreak of millions of England fans,’ she said.

‘The team gave their all. Congratulations and onwards to the

The comments by Mings comes after the Home Secretary dismissed the stance of England players in taking the knee in the fight for racial equality.

‘I just don’t support people participating in that type of gesture politics,’ Ms Patel said in an interview with GB News.

Asked whether England fans had a right to boo England’s national team, she said: ‘That’s a choice for them quite frankly. I’ve not gone to a football match to even contemplate that.’

The comments from England star Mings follow on from those of Tory peer Baroness Sayeeda Warsie, who responded to Ms Patel’s tweet by saying the the Government needed to ‘think about our role in feeding this culture’.

She said: ‘Priti – We as govt, as Conservatives, need to think about our role in feeding this culture in our country If we ‘whistle’ and the’dog’ reacts we cant be shocked if it barks and bites.

‘It’s time to stop the culture wars that are feeding division Dog whistles win votes but destroy nations.’

Meanwhile, Downing Street today defended Boris Johnson after he was accused of ‘giving licence’ to racist idiots who abused black England players after the Euro 2020 final.

Labour politicians and party supporter Gary Neville hit out at the Prime Minister’s own record – and that of Home Secretary Priti Patel – amid widespread public revulsion at social media hatred shown towards Three Lions stars who missed penalties in last night’s Euro 2020 defeat.

They highlighted that fact that it is just weeks since Ms Patel slammed players’ who took the knee in an anti-racism protest before games and said fans had a right to boo them for doing so.

Mr Johnson also equivocated over the protest that originated with the Black Lives Matter movement in the US before urging fans not to boo in recent weeks.

Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner accused Mr Johnson and Ms Patel of acting ‘like arsonists complaining about a fire they poured petrol on’.

And Mr Neville, the Manchester United star turned pundit, said the PM had promoted racism by describing Muslim women as looking like ‘letterboxes’ in a newspaper column before he became Tory leader.

However, the attacks prompted a hard hit back by Downing Street. Mr Johnson’s spokesman told reporters this afternoon that: ‘The Prime Minister was clear that he wanted to see everyone getting behind the team to cheer them on. He made that clear on the 11th, before England’s first game.’

The Prime Minister also went on the offensive tonight. Facing the nation at a Covid press conference he said: ‘To those who have been directing racist abuse at some of the players I say shame on you and I hope you will crawl back under the rock from which you emerged’

Labour’s Angela Rayner made the incendiary remark amid widespread public revulsion at social media hatred shown towards Three Lions stars who missed penalties in last night’s Euro 2020 defeat

England’s midfielder Kalvin Phillips and an Italian opponent take the knee before the start of the Euro 2020 final last night at Wembley

‘You are not fans. We do not want you’: England captain Harry Kane joins manager Gareth Southgate’s condemnation of those behind racist abuse

Harry Kane tonight sent a clear message to those behind the vile racist abuse of England stars in the wake of last night’s heartbreaking Euro 2020 final defeat by saying: ‘We don’t want you.’

The England skipper condemned the abuse aimed at Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Bukayo Saka as ‘vile’, adding that the players, who were seen visibly distraught after missing penalties in the shoot-out defeat to Italy, ‘deserve support and backing’.

And in a stinging message, he called out those behind the messages, saying they were ‘not England fans’.

In a strongly-worded post on Twitter, the striker said: ‘Three lads who were brilliant all summer had the courage to step up and take a pen when the stakes were high.

‘They deserve support and backing not the vile racist abuse they’ve had since last night. If you abuse anyone on social media you’re not an England fan and we don’t want you.’

It comes as England manager Gareth Southgate this morning savaged the abuse of his players as ‘unforgivable’ after they were trolled by racists overnight.

He blasted mindless social media morons who bombarded Saka, Rashford and Sancho with vile slurs after the heartbreaking defeat at Wembley last night.

The England boss hit out after Prince William and the Prime Minister branded the abuse unacceptable and sickening after the defeat.

Southgate said: ‘I am sickened by the racist abuse aimed at England players after last night’s match. It is totally unacceptable that players have had to endure this abhorrent behaviour. I must stop now and all those involved should be held accountable.

‘For some of them to be abused is unforgivable really. I know a lot of that has come from abroad, that people who track those things have been able to explain that, but not all of it.

‘It’s just not what we stand for. We have been a beacon of light in bringing people together in people being able to relate to the national team, and the national team stands for everybody and so that togetherness has to continue.

‘We have shown the power our country has when it does come together and has that energy and positivity together.’

‘Because this entire team played like heroes and I’m sure that this is just the beginning of their achievements, and I say bring on Qatar next year, and let’s also dare to start, together with Ireland, how the United Kingdom can host the World Cup in 2030.’

Both Mr Johnson and Ms Patel took to social media this morning to condemn mindless social media morons who bombarded Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho with abuse after the Wembley heartbreak.

England boss Gareth Southgate and Prince William also went public to state the abuse was unacceptable.

But in comments that may lead to accusations of political point scoring by Tory backbenchers Ms Rayner said: ‘The Prime Minister and the Home Secretary gave licence to the racists who booed the England players and are now racially abusing England players.

‘Boris Johnson and Priti Patel are like arsonists complaining about a fire they poured petrol on. Total hypocrites.’

Party leader Keir Starmer later doubled down, telling reporters: ‘This is about leadership, and I’m afraid the Prime Minister has failed the test of leadership because whatever he says today about racism he had a simple choice at the beginning of this tournament in relation to the booing of those who were taking the knee.’

Mr Neville, who backed Jeremy Corbyn at the last election, said: ‘The Prime Minister said it was OK for the population of this country to boo those players who were trying to promote equality and defend against racism. It starts at the very top.’

Facebook and Instagram this morning said it had tried to remove comments and accounts directing abuse at England’s footballers, but many were still visible this lunchtime.

The huge tech firm insisted: ‘No one thing will fix this challenge overnight, but we’re committed to keeping our community safe from abuse.’

Damian Green, a Conservative MP and member of the DCMS committee, said he believed it would be ‘not too difficult’ for social media platforms to do more to monitor racist comments made on their websites.

He told BBC’s World at One programme: ‘Their algorithms are incredibly good, and are able to target adverts at every one of their billions of users.

‘I don’t think it would be that difficult, for example, to check on every use of the monkey emoji, and if it’s being used in an unacceptable context – as clearly it was over the past 24 hours – then take those posts down immediately and see if you can find out who the person who sent them was and get them off your platform.’

Prince William led earlier calls to stop the posts and said he was sickened by racist abuse of the England team, branding vile slurs at players ‘totally unacceptable’.

The Duke of Cambridge, who was at the game last night with Kate and George, called for those behind the messages to be punished.

The PM echoed the Football Association’s condemnation of those attacking the players after the team lost to Italy.

Marcus Rashford says he was ‘close to tears’ when well-wishers covered ‘racist’ graffiti on mural of him with loving notes after his penalty heartache

Marcus Rashford today said he was left ‘close to tears’ after well-wishers covered graffiti sprayed on his Manchester mural with loving notes in the wake of his Euro 2020 penalty heartache.

The England star, 23, penned an emotional open letter to England fans apologising for his penalty shoot-out miss against Italy at Wembley last night.

The striker, who was left visibly distraught after his penalty hit the post, also paid tribute to his supportive teammates and vowed to ‘come back stronger’ after yesterday’s heartbreaking finale to Euro 2020.

But the star – who last night faced a barrage of racist abuse from vile online trolls in the wake of the defeat – reserved a special thank you for those who had stepped in to restore his mural on the wall of the Coffee House Cafe in his home town of Withington.

The painted image was last night defaced, in what is being investigated by police as a possible ‘hate crime’, with derogatory comments about Rashford and included the words ‘sh**e’ and ‘b*****d’. Further graffiti said ‘f**k Sancho’ – a reference to Three Lions teammate Jadon Sancho.

However Rashford fans quickly rushed to the site to hide the abusive messages, before placing hearts over the covering.

Speaking about their support in an open letter posted on his Twitter account, the star said: ‘The messages I have received have been positively overwhelming and seeing the response in Withington had me on the verge of tears.

‘The communities that always wrapped their arms around me continue to hold me up. I’m a 23-year-old black man from Withington and Wythenshawe, South Manchester. If I have nothing else, I have that.’

Earlier in the open letter he apologised for his penalty miss against Italy, saying ‘I felt as though I’d let everyone down’.

‘It’s been playing over in my head over and over since and there’s probably not a word to quite describe how it feels,’ he said. ‘Final. 55-years. 1 penalty. History. All I can say is sorry. I wish it had gone differently.’

The striker also praised his teammates, saying it was the ‘best camps I’ve experienced’ and adding that an ‘unbreakable brotherhood’ had been formed.

He also ended on a positive note, vowing to bounce back from the heartache, saying: ‘For all the kind messages, thank you. I’ll be back stronger. We’ll be back stronger.’

It comes as Greater Manchester Police today called the defacing of the mural a ‘racially aggravated’ act of vandalism.

In a statement, GMP slammed the ‘racially aggravated’ and ‘disgraceful’ damage, adding: ‘Hate crime in any form is completely unacceptable and not welcome here in our city.’ The force was alerted at around 2.50am this morning. No arrests have been made and inquiries are ongoing.

Chief Superintendent Paul Savill said: ‘This is disgraceful behaviour and will absolutely not be tolerated. Greater Manchester prides itself on being made up from a number of diverse communities, and hate crime in any form is completely unacceptable and not welcome here in our city.

‘GMP takes crimes of this nature very seriously and an investigation has been launched. If anyone has any information that could help us to identify this offender please do not hesitate to speak to police.’

Mr Johnson said: ‘This England team deserve to be lauded as heroes, not racially abused on social media.

‘Those responsible for this appalling abuse should be ashamed of themselves.

Home Secretary Priti Patel also headed up figures slamming the racists. She said: ‘Players who have given so much for our country this summer have been subject to vile racist abuse on social media. It has no place in our country and I back the police to hold those responsible accountable.’

A month ago Mr Johnson slapped down Priti Patel after she attacked England’s footballers for taking the knee before games.

The Home Secretary used an interview with GB News to accuse players of ‘gesture politics’ after their symbolic anti-racism protest before beating Croatia at Wembley.

She also refused to criticise fans at the Euro 2020 opener who booed the team when they made the symbolic anti-racism gesture before kick-off.

Ms Patel said it was ‘choice for them’ after Gareth Southgate’s side faced jeers from a minority of fans before the game, which they went on to win 1-0.

But the PM has faced accusations that he was earlier equivocal over the booing by England fans.

A few days beforehand his official spokesman declined to condemn those who booed players, only going so far as urging them to be ‘respectful’.

It came as a Tory MP was forced to backtrack today after a horrific own goal attack on England star Marcus Rashford over his missed Euro 2020 penalty.

Dover MP Natalie Elphicke suggested the Manchester United star should have practised spot kicks instead of campaigning for free meals for deprived schoolchildren during lockdown.

She made the remark in a Tory MP WhatsApp group after the Three Lions’ Euro 2020 defeat on penalties to Italy at Wembley last night.

Ms Rayner Labour’s deputy leader, added: ‘While the country was commiserating our great team, Tory MPs were sneering at an inspirational player who stepped up to feed hungry kids when they voted to leave them without food.

‘Whether it’s their failure to support the vulnerable, or booing our boys after they have done our whole country proud, the Nasty Party is back.

‘The question every Conservative MP needs to answer is – did they call out these appalling comments?

‘And after his failure to support our players in their stance against racism, Boris Johnson must publicly condemn these disgraceful messages. Whose side is he on, the lion hearts on the pitch or the Tory MPs who attack them.’

Meanwhile, Marcus Rashford today said he was left ‘close to tears’ after well-wishers covered graffiti sprayed on his Manchester mural with loving notes in the wake of his Euro 2020 penalty heartache.

The England star, 23, penned an emotional open letter to England fans apologising for his penalty shoot-out miss against Italy at Wembley last night.

However Rashford fans quickly rushed to the site to hide the abusive messages, before placing hearts over the covering.

Marcus Rashford today said he was ‘close to tears’ after well-wishers covered graffiti sprayed on his Manchester mural with notes of support in the wake of his Euro 2020 penalty heartache

A local resident puts love hearts and slogans on the plastic that covers offensive graffiti on the vandalised mural of Manchester United striker and England player Marcus Rashford

Harry Kane tonight sent a clear message to those behind the vile racist abuse of England stars in the wake of last night’s heartbreaking Euro 2020 final defeat by saying ‘we don’t want you’

Formula One driver Lando Norris was ‘mugged for his £40,000 watch’ amid chaos after Euro 2020 final

McLaren driver Lando Norris was reportedly mugged for his £40,000 watch after England lost against Italy

Lando Norris was reportedly mugged for his £40,000 watch after England lost to Italy in the European Championship final.

Gareth Southgate’s side lost on penalties to the Azzurri at Wembley on Sunday, with Formula One star Norris in attendance.

The McLaren driver was mugged after the game as he approached his £165,000 McLaren supercar, according to The Sun.

A witness told the Sun: ‘Lando was held and another robber pulled off his watch in a split second. Lando looked pretty shaken up. Security had been a nightmare all night.’

Following the incident, a McLaren team spokesman said the 21-year-old was ‘understandably shaken’.

It was also reported that one robber grabbed him and held him still while the other ripped off his valuable Richard Mille timepiece.

Earlier in the open letter he apologised for his penalty miss against Italy, saying ‘I felt as though I’d let everyone down’.

The striker also praised his teammates, saying it was the ‘best camps I’ve experienced’ and adding that an ‘unbreakable brotherhood’ had been formed.

He also ended on a positive note, vowing to bounce back from the heartache, saying: ‘For all the kind messages, thank you. I’ll be back stronger. We’ll be back stronger.’

It comes as Greater Manchester Police today called the defacing of the mural a ‘racially aggravated’ act of vandalism.

Meanwhile, Harry Kane tonight sent a clear message to those behind the vile racist abuse of England stars in the wake of last night’s heartbreaking Euro 2020 final defeat by saying: ‘We don’t want you.’