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Sky News
29 minutes ago
- Sky News
Premiere League opener halted after Antoine Semenyo reports racist abuse
A man was ejected from Anfield Stadium after reports of racial abuse directed at Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo during the season's opening Premier League game against Liverpool. Match referee Anthony Taylor paused play in the 29th minute after Semenyo accused a spectator of racist abuse. An anti-discrimination message was read out to the Anfield crowd, and it is understood that police officers went into the referee's room at half-time. Merseyside Police said an investigation is under way after the 47-year-old man's identity was confirmed and he was removed from the ground. Chief Inspector Kev Chatterton, the match commander for the Liverpool v Bournemouth game, said: "Merseyside Police will not tolerate hate crime of any form. "We take incidents like this very seriously, and in cases like this we will be proactively seeking football banning orders, with the club, against those responsible." He added: "There is no place for racism and it is vital that anyone who witnesses such an offence reports it to stewards, or the police immediately, so we can take the necessary action like we did this evening. "As with all matches, we work very closely with both Liverpool and Everton FC to ensure the safety of the public, and the players." A spokesperson for Liverpool said the club was "aware of an allegation of racist abuse made during our Premier League game against Bournemouth". The Liverpool spokesperson said: "We condemn racism and discrimination in all forms, it has no place in society, or football. "The club is unable to comment further as tonight's alleged is incident is the subject of an ongoing police investigation, which we will support fully." After the incident, Semenyo scored twice in the second half to help bring Bournemouth back from two goals down at Anfield before Liverpool went on to eventually win the contest 4-2. Bournemouth captain Adam Smith told Sky Sports News afterwards: "It shouldn't be happening. I don't know how Ant's played on to be honest and come up with those goals. It's totally unacceptable. "Something needs to be done. Taking the knee isn't having an effect. We're supporting him and hopefully he'll be OK. "I wanted him to react because that's what I would have done, but this shows what type of man he come up with those goals showed the type of guy he is. "To be fair the Liverpool players were very supportive as well towards Antoine and the rest of the team. It was handled in the right way but... so angry. "I don't know what else we can do. No one's getting it. I don't know what to say anymore. I just feel for Ant... shocking." The Premier League said in a statement that its "on-field anti-discrimination protocol" had been followed and the incident "will now be fully investigated". "We offer our full support to the player and both clubs," it added. "Racism has no place in our game, or anywhere in society. We will continue to work with stakeholders and authorities to ensure our stadiums are an inclusive and welcoming environment for all." The Football Association said it was "concerned" about the allegation of racism towards Semenyo and that it would ensure "appropriate action" would be taken. The incident comes two days after Tottenham Hotspur player Mathys Tel faced racist abuse online following a missed penalty in his team's UEFA Super Cup victory over Paris Saint-Germain.
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Man Utd transfer news: Brighton make Carlos Baleba call as two new signings eyed
Manchester United have spent big so far this summer, but Ruben Amorim remains keen to continue strengthening his squad with a new midfielder top of his shopping list The new season will get underway for Manchester United on Sunday when they host rivals Arsenal at Old Trafford. The Red Devils will be hoping to make a winning start as they look to bounce back from their worst Premier League finish last season. United finished 15th in the league and failed to qualify for the Champions League after they were beaten in the Europa League final by Tottenham. Ruben Amorim has strengthened his squad this summer, bringing in Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Diego Leon. Marcus Rashford has left the club, joining Barcelona on loan with an option to buy, while Christian Eriksen and Victor Lindelof have been released and veteran defender Jonny Evans has retired. Baleba latest Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler says he is "very confident" that Carlos Baleba will not be sold this summer, despite strong interest from Old Trafford. When asked about the midfielder's future ahead of Brighton's opening game of the new season, Hurzeler said: "I didn't see any change, he's only changed his hair. I think that's the change he's made in the last two weeks. "But overall he seems to be in a really good place, he's enjoying it with his team-mates, he's enjoying being a Brighton player. I didn't see any big changes and he's an option to start tomorrow. Very very very confident [he will stay], that's just my belief." Two new signings eyed According to a report from the Sun, Manchester United are considering a move for Morten Hjulmand as a potential alternative to Carlos Baleba. The report states that the Sporting captain would 'cost less than half' what it would take to sign Baleba, with Hjulmand valued at around £50m. As a result, it is claimed that United could use the money saved by signing Hjulmand to fund a move for Gianluigi Donnarumma. The Paris Saint-Germain star is expected to leave this summer after they signed a new goalkeeper in Lucas Chevalier. Rashford warning Marcus Rashford has joined Barcelona on loan with an option to buy, having been frozen out at Old Trafford by Ruben Amorim. However, Steve McManaman believes the forward has no place at Barcelona. "It's certainly important that he hits the ground running," he said at an event with ESPN. "I thought it was an incredible move for him, to be very honest. The last couple of seasons at Manchester United, the way Manchester United performed - for him to leave and go to arguably one of the most exciting teams in Europe, I thought: 'He's got an amazing agent.' "Where's he going to fit in? The answer is, I don't know. Because Raphinha, Robert [Lewandowski] and Lamine [Yamal], they had the most incredible season. So you think that is set in stone. You've got Ferran [Torres] behind them. They've moved a couple of players out - if anything, when you look at Barcelona's team, they need a couple of more defenders... but they go and bring in yet another forward. So we'll wait and see."
Times
2 hours ago
- Times
Donor ‘shocked' as national library excludes gender-critical book
Scotland's national librarian is facing mounting pressure to reinstate a gender-critical book which she banned from a major exhibition, after a key donor joined a revolt against the move. Alex Graham, who has given around £300,000 to the library, said he had been 'shocked and angry' to learn that The Women Who Wouldn't Wheesht had been excluded from an exhibit that he personally supported with a donation of about £20,000. Graham, the creator of the television show Who Do You Think You Are, urged Amina Shah, Scotland's chief librarian and the chief executive of the National Library of Scotland, to reverse her decision. He said that if she did not, he would have to consider whether or not to continue to provide lucrative donations to the library, as he has done for the past 12 years. The critically acclaimed book, a collection of essays by more than 30 women about their role in the feminist campaign against Nicola Sturgeon's gender self-ID law, was set to be included in its Dear Library exhibition, after it was nominated by several members of the public. However, The Times revealed on Wednesday that it was pulled after a backlash by the library's internal LGBT staff network, which claimed it contained 'hate speech' and that displaying it would cause 'severe harm' to workers. They threatened to 'notify LGBT+ partners of the library's endorsement of the book' if management did not cave in. Shah justified the decision by citing the potential impact on 'key stakeholders' and the library's reputation if the gender-critical book was included, but has faced intense opposition after her ban was made public. In a major intervention, Graham called on the library to admit its mistake and reinstate the book to Dear Library, which Shah had publicly thanked him for his role in funding. He said that if it did not, he would have no option but to publicly disassociate himself from the campaign, saying the library had given in to what he claimed was a 'censorious, bullying culture' instead of standing up for ideals of free speech. The book's editors, Lucy Hunter Blackburn and Susan Dalgety, have branded the removal of their work 'cowardly and anti-democratic' and repeated their call for the decision to be reversed. 'I think this was a fundamental mistake and the correct thing for the library to do would be to put up their hands, admit that and reinstate the book,' Graham said. 'Instead, there have been weaselly responses. 'The library is not saying they have taken it out because it contains hate speech, because it does not. They've taken it out because of some ill-conceived notion that someone might be upset by its presence. That's not a good enough reason for me.' Graham added: 'This is not about taking one side or the other on the trans debate. It's about the principles of open debate and free speech, which to the national library should be sacrosanct. 'It isn't too late to redeem the situation. But if there is not a change of heart, I feel I will have no choice but to publicly dissociate myself from the exhibition and the campaign that surrounds it. 'This stupid escapade does not undo the very good work the library does, but it should never have happened. 'I couldn't say definitely that I will not donate any more money if they stick to their guns on this, but it has certainly given me pause for thought. That makes me incredibly sad.' Shah, who last year received a salary of between £105,000 and £110,000 in addition to pension contributions of £41,000, decided to exclude the book with the support of Sir Drummond Bone, the chairman of the National Library of Scotland (NLS). An insider within the cultural sector in Scotland said the decision was symptomatic of a wider trend of managers being seen to cave in to demands of young, activist staff members who have little resilience or tolerance of views different to their own. Graham became a major donor to the NLS as he credited free access to books at Cambuslang public library in his childhood as shaping his life and allowing him to go on to pursue a highly successful career in television. He sold his television company, Wall to Wall, in which he purchased a 33 per cent share for £1 in 1987, for about £25 million two decades later. Although the library receives the bulk of its funding from the Scottish government, private donors such as Graham, who has been repeatedly acknowledged by the library for his philanthropy, are also essential to its work. Graham has been one of the library's major donors over the past decade, funding major projects such as the digitisation of medieval manuscripts. He funds a scholarship at the library which is named in his honour, as is a room at the National Library of Scotland's moving image library at Kelvin Hall, Glasgow. Graham's generosity in supporting the centenary celebrations was singled out for praise by Shah at the launch of the Dear Library exhibition in June. Graham said he was initially impressed with it, before discovering that The Women Who Wouldn't Wheesht, which included a contribution from JK Rowling, had been excluded. 'On the opening night of the exhibition, I thought it was fantastic, because I found at least two books in there that I consider to be among the worst ever written,' Graham said. 'I said to Amina I thought that was great, because the whole point was that while some people are inspired by a book, others will hate it. That's the joy of the society we live in and the freedom that we have. 'There are books that are beyond the pale, but there are very few of them. You need to be very careful before you ban anything. 'This book [The Women Who Wouldn't Wheesht] was clearly selected to be included, and frankly the management were then bullied out of that by a staff lobby group. 'They say they've removed this book to protect relationships with stakeholders. But they certainly didn't consult me and if they had, I would have voiced strong opposition. I am angry and disappointed at the decision to remove the book as well as the implication that as a stakeholder, I am somehow supportive of it, which I am not.' Kate Forbes, the deputy first minister, has found herself at the centre of a similar row after staff and performers at Edinburgh's Summerhall arts venue criticised her views on trans rights. Summerhall's bosses said Forbes had been permitted to speak at the venue as 'an oversight' after some of the artists set up a 'safe room' while the 5ft 2in politician was present as they were 'terrified' because of her opinions. A whistleblower who works within the arts sector in Scotland said that activist staff members were becoming increasingly powerful within major publicly funded institutions. 'I have been in so many meetings where it is just taken as a given that everyone there is in lockstep on these issues — that everyone hates JK Rowling and that books like The Women Who Wouldn't Wheesht are dangerous and harmful,' a source claimed. 'The internal LGBT networks are given carte blanche and it is very isolating to those of us who do not agree with their extreme views, who are forced to self-censor or face, at best, being socially ostracised at work. 'It sounds ridiculous but those of us who don't agree with them feel like we're in an underground network like the French resistance or something, secretly sending each other supportive messages.' The insider added: 'A major part of the problem across the cultural sector is the infantilisation of younger staff members, who can't cope with any type of conflict or opposition to their views. 'This has now led to the ridiculous situation where people intolerant of ideas and books are not only working in our national library, but are calling the shots. Management are terrified and pander to them every time they have a tantrum.' The NLS has sought to defend its decision not to platform the book at its exhibition by claiming there were only 200 spaces for public display, and it received more than 500 nominations. However, documents released under a freedom of information request show that all books with two or more nominations were initially to be included in the public display, with the Women Who Wouldn't Wheesht obtaining four. Joanna Cherry, the former SNP MP and one of the essayists in the book, accused Shah of attempting to mislead her own staff with a message that claimed the library was not 'banning or censoring' books. Although the library does hold a copy of the book — a legal obligation given its statutory role — its exclusion from the Dear Library exhibition was the direct result of complaints from the LGBT staff network who did not like its contents, the documents show. 'I'm concerned that the librarian seems to be misleading her staff as well as the public and the media about what has occurred here,' Cherry said. 'The issue is not whether the book is available within the library's collections but her decision to withdraw it from an exhibition where it had rightly earned its place because of the prejudiced demands of a small group of her staff.' Cherry added: 'There is an increasing pattern in Scottish society where zealots masquerading as LGBTQ+ activists seek to censor women who want to talk about their rights. 'This book was written by feminists, survivors and lesbians. To remove it from an exhibition is not only an attack on freedom of expression, it is also discriminatory.' Hunter Blackburn said: 'We are very saddened that it has come to this, but we understand why Mr Graham has reached what must have been a very difficult decision for him. 'We will continue to seek for this to be resolved by the library making an unreserved apology, putting the book back in the exhibition where it won its rightful place, and, it becomes increasingly clear, undertaking a root-and-branch review of its internal culture and practices.' A spokeswoman for the NLS said: 'We are engaged in a robust and respectful conversation with Mr Graham about this matter, and we will accept his decision regardless of the outcome. 'It goes without saying we are indebted to Mr Graham for his support to the national library over the years. His assistance has helped us to preserve collections, reach new audiences and give young people's careers that much needed start through our apprenticeship programme.'
