Hibs join social media boycott across Scottish football to send message to 'vile minority'
Hibs have added their participation to the growing support among Scottish clubs turning off their social media channels this weekend, and though the club admits the online platforms ‘play a vital role’ engaging with fans and club commercial partners ‘a vile minority’ has forced the club to join in and act.
Old Firm rivals Rangers took a similar step earlier this month when players at Ibrox switched off their accounts and refused to post online for a week, in a bid to raise awareness of the ongoing abuse online – particularly racial hatred shown towards players including Kemar Roofe and Glen Kamara.
Celtic highlighted their reasons and support for the forthcoming weekend stance and Hibs have added their backing over the weekend of action: “We will join clubs across the country, and in England, as well as the Scottish FA, Scottish Professional Football League, Scottish Women’s Football and PFA Scotland in switching off all social media activity for our men and women’s teams.”
Clubs across the country will be joined by members of the English football leagues in a social media silence hoping to add volume to their message against abuse.
The SPFL announced the joint initiative on Wednesday and Hibs executive chairman Ron Gordon detailed their support in a website statement.
"Hibernian Football Club has a zero-tolerance policy towards any form of discrimination,” he said.
“It has no place in football. We are committed to inclusion and to stamping out online abuse.
“We believe social media has a vital role to play in engaging with our fans and commercial partners. But we feel it necessary, due to the actions of a vile minority, to join in a social media boycott in order to send a united and powerful message that enough is enough.”
When clubs do post information via their channels, during the shutdown period of 3pm on Friday and midnight on Monday evening, the messages will be post-fixed with the hashtag #FootballUnites in recognition of the weekend of action.
Hibs’ game against St Johnstone in the SPFL Premiership, and the SWPL Edinburgh derby on Sunday, will be unaffected by the black-out and still screened on Hibs Pass and BBC Alba respectively.