The Fremantle Dockers strongly condemn the vile and racist abuse sent to young forward/wingman Michael Frederick on social media following Saturday night’s game against Sydney at Optus Stadium.
The message to Frederick, who has South Sudanese heritage, is the latest in a string of racist messages targeting players in the AFL in recent years.
Fremantle CEO Simon Garlick said the club would not tolerate the continuing racial vilification of players in the AFL.
“This abhorrent comment is just one example of the racist abuse many in Australia experience in their everyday lives. The Fremantle Football Club and our broader Fremantle Family stand by Michael for calling out this type of abuse,” Garlick said.
“The coward who posted the comment did so under the veil of anonymity, increasing the difficulty of identifying them.
“This indicates that the person knows how disgusting and pathetic the comment they sent is. However, if they in fact do not understand the damage and offence a comment of this nature inflicts we encourage them to come forward and we will assist in providing the education and understanding, so sorely needed as we move past this type of behaviour.
“We will work with the relevant authorities to deal with this specific issue but we also call on Governments and the eSafety Commissioner to enforce changes to ensure that any person with a social media account is identifiable and accountable for the posts and comments they make.
“Social media companies must be compelled to identify their users in instances like these and be held accountable if they don’t.
“It’s unacceptable in any context, however for this to happen on a night that celebrates the contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to Australian Rules Football in the Sir Doug Nicholls Round, is incredibly disappointing and highlights how far we still have to go in the push to stamp out racism.
“We will continue to support Michael, and all of our players who experience such abuse, and will do everything within our power to ensure this person is held to account.
“At Fremantle we believe in a future without racism.”
