Lewis Hamilton Sends Powerful Anti-Racism Message After England Players Cop Vile Abuse

Lewis Hamilton has joined the chorus of voices condemning the racial abuse of England players following their defeat in the Euro 2020 Final.

Three Lions stars Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo all had their social media accounts flooded with words and emojis conveying every single racial slur you can think of.

This disgusting behaviour sparked widespread outrage among fans who have now come out and thrown their support behind the three players - Hamilton being one of them.

The reigning F1 champion has been one of the main figures in the fight against racial injustices and has continued to use his platform to educate others on the struggles he and many others go through on a day-to-day basis.

Now Hamilton has posted an incredibly-powerful message on social media in the wake of the tournament's disappointing climax, calling for people to come together and unite in a bid to stamp out racism for good.

"So much was running through my mind as I watched the final moments of the match last night," Hamilton wrote in an Instagram post.

"On one hand I was so proud of how far we have come... to be in the final and with such a diverse team is a huge achievement we should all be proud of but as the players stepped up to take the penalties I was worried.

"The pressure to deliver is felt by every sportsperson but when you are a minority representing your country this is a layered experience. Success would feel like a double victory, but a miss feels like a two-fold failure when its compounded with racist abuse.

"I so badly wanted that win like all of you but for me it was for much more than winning the Euros, it was a much bigger picture. However, the disgusting behaviour by the few, shows how much work that still needs to be done. I hope that this opens a conversation around acceptance.

"We must work towards a society that doesn't require Black players to prove their value or place in society only through victory. Ultimately everyone on the England team should be so proud of their achievement and how they represented us."

Some of the biggest names on the planet, including Prince William himself, have publicly called-out the horrendous abuse hurled towards the three young men.

But while the widespread condemnation has primarily been aimed at the the keyboard warriors behind the vile messages, others have taken aim at the social media and tech juggernauts, calling for them do better in stopping this sort of abuse from taking place in the first place.

Topics: Racism, Football, Euro 2020, Lewis Hamilton, Bukayo Saka, racial abuse, England, Marcus Rashford, F1, Jadon Sancho, Australia

Max Sherry

Max Sherry is a journalist for SPORTbible Australia. After migrating Down Under from London as a teenager, he instantly fell in love with Aussie sport and its culture. From NRL to AFL, cricket to rugby — you name it, Max watches it (with a beer in hand, of course). During his time at Fox Sports, he worked in the football department covering the Premier League, A-League, Socceroos and Matildas. Born a stone's throw away from West Ham's training ground, Max is obviously a die-hard Liverpool fan.

@maxysherry