Xenophobic abuse in British chess in the post-Brexit world

[Paul McKeown]

A good friend and colleague of mine, a Romanian, was on the receiving end of this, two days ago

Ah another thick immigrant I see learn the language second thoughts don't bother you will be gone with Brexit bye bye bye

You will be fine when we send you home bye bye

It's called being English, we don't want you here fuckoff. At least I can f**king spell you illiterate f**king parasite.

And much, much more, too much to be worth quoting.

This was from an online account called mate2mate on chess.com. The playing strength of mate2mate would indicate a strong club player.

Does anyone know who this unpleasant ape might be?

Has anyone had any experience of such racist, or xenophobic abuse, apparently related to Brexit, either online or in the real world?

[Roger Lancaster]

That's appalling. Any possibility of referring the matter to chess.com? I suppose we have to accept, reluctantly, that chess players are representative of the general population in including a minority with the mindset indicated in those messages.

[Paul McKeown]

That was my advice, too. The matter has now been referred to chess.com, but whether they do anything about it remains to be seen.

[Roger Lancaster]

Lest we forget, the season of peace and goodwill towards all men is almost upon us.

[JustinHorton]

Are the comments reported still visible? I can't find them myself, although I have located the account.

[Jonathan Rogers]

That was my advice, too. The matter has now been referred to chess.com, but whether they do anything about it remains to be seen.

I presume he was English, given the invective, but where do those knuckledraggers hide themselves? They obviously exist, of course, as someone has to buy the Daily Express, vote for the BNP, UKIP or whatever, and march with Britain First. What on Earth convinces them that their opinions are worth more than shite on second-hand toilet paper, though?

Lest we forget, Paul McKeown does a good line in this sort of thing himself. Glass houses?

There is not much equivalence, Nick, between personal abuse aimed at an individual on account of his nationality and a derogatory term aimed at no one in particular but just referring to a group on account of their political inclinations.

[Michael Farthing]

I faced such abuse from, as I recall, an Egyptian playing on a (different) internet chess site. It was a 'correspondence' game over several months and throughout the game he was adding anti-English insults to the chat box with each of his moves. When the game had finished (I forget the result) he totally surprised me by immediately inviting me to play another game. I came to the conclusion that it was all sledging - but it remained unpleasant, isn't an excuse and I didn't accept the offer of a rematch.

[NickFaulks]

I faced such abuse from, as I recall, an Egyptian

Those Egyptian Brexiteers are everywhere.

[David Sedgwick]

There is not much equivalence ... between personal abuse aimed at an individual on account of his nationality and a derogatory term aimed at no one in particular but just referring to a group on account of their political inclinations.

There is a long established saying that an attack on one is an attack on all.

Isn't the converse equally true?

[Jonathan Rogers]

I don't see how it could be: an attack against all being the same as an attack on one?

Anyway, both sides of the Brexit debate have been calling each other names for a long time now. Millions are on each side and both sides are used to the abuse, if they venture a voice on either side. There is no comparison to anyone approaching and abusing an individual on account of his nationality.

[NickFaulks]

I don't see how it could be: an attack against all being the same as an attack on one.

So if I shout to the world, "all members of [ choose your population group ] are [ choose your term of abuse ], that's fine.

Whereas if I say to an individual "you are a member of [ that population group ], so you are [ that term of abuse ], that isn't.

I never feel the generation gap more strongly then in discussions like this. When I was brought up, all abuse was wrong and deserving of a clipped ear.

[JustinHorton]

I think a lot of people who experienced it back then might suggest that racist abuse was common: its earning a clipped ear, less so.

[Jonathan Rogers]

I don't see how it could be: an attack against all being the same as an attack on one.

So if I shout to the world, "all members of [ choose your population group ] are [ choose your term of abuse ], that's fine.

...

That's fine?! No, I said it is not the same as picking out an individual, and I have always tied this with the other reasons why there was no equivalence between the two statements you compared earlier.

[Carl Hibbard]

Lest we forget, the season of peace and goodwill towards all men is almost upon us.

A couple of posts were removed to keep us on track a little and hopefully to continue this sentiment.

[IanCalvert]

A good friend and colleague of mine, a Romanian, was on the receiving end of this, two days ago

iMHO

Victims should be reassured by the majority AND perpetrators, whatever their networks, sanctioned publicly.