Arnaut Danjuma was sent Islamophobic abuse on social media after confirming he will continue to take a knee ahead of matches; it comes after the Bournemouth winger expressed his anger at those who call the gesture a waste of time: "It really p***** me off when people say that"
Thursday 11 March 2021 15:53, UK
Bournemouth winger Arnaut Danjuma has been sent Islamophobic abuse on social media after confirming he will continue to take a knee at matches.
Danjuma was sent the abuse on Instagram following the release of an interview with Sky Sports News on Wednesday, in which he expressed his frustration with those who believe the pre-match anti-racism gesture has lost its impact.
The majority of Bournemouth's players have stopped taking a knee before games after the club released a statement last month saying they felt the gesture had "run its course".
Danjuma took to Twitter on Thursday to highlight the abuse he had received in response to his interview.
The 24-year-old posted "I said what I said" with an emoji and a screenshot of the abuse he had received from one Instagram user, which included a reference to his Muslim faith.
Bournemouth shared that post and wrote: "The person in question has already deleted their account. This has to stop.
"Thank you for speaking up and we stand with you, @ArnautDanjuma".
The Sky Bet Championship club have also contacted Instagram and are following social media abuse protocols.
Sky Sports News has contacted Instagram for comment.
Danjuma has continued to take a knee before Bournemouth's matches. When asked about how he felt when people described it as a waste of time, Netherlands international Danjuma told Sky Sports News: "To be honest with you, I don't think I can say it on camera.
"It really p***** me off when people say that. It really frustrates me when people say that. I definitely feel it's not a waste of time, and anyone who says it needs to look in the mirror.
"It is a very important subject to speak about, and reach out to others about. Anyone who says that should educate themselves more as well.
"So it's important to keep taking a knee, it still has an impact and it's important to remind others."
When asked if he felt fans who booed taking a knee lacked education over racism and social injustice, Danjuma added: "Yes, 100 per cent. I think schools should educate the youth better about racism.
"I think fans who boo, they are not educated about it. They need to look into the history, what actually happened, and find out how we got to where we are today.
"People must educate themselves and speak about it. It's a very uncomfortable conversation to have for a lot of people, the more we speak about it the better it becomes. We must make sure history does not repeat itself."
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