Arsenal is looking into a series of antisemitic social media posts from an account that is believed to belong to one of their staff members. Mark Bonnick, a kitman at the club's academy, is reportedly under internal investigation after posts on an account on X, featuring his name and photograph, were found to have engaged in several exchanges with members of the Jewish community. The account was set to protected status on Wednesday afternoon and appeared to have been deleted by Wednesday night.
These exchanges took place over the past month and were brought to light by @Never_Again2020, an account dedicated to combating antisemitism. On 24 November, Bonnick allegedly posted to David Collier, an investigative journalist and prominent antisemitism campaigner, regarding Israel's conflict with Hamas in Gaza: "Yes, it's all about Jewish supremacy & not wanting to share the land. Ethnic cleansing." Another alleged post to Collier on 4 December suggested that "Zionist Israel" had a "persecution complex."
On 1 December, an alleged post to Heidi Bachram, a Jewish campaigner against antisemitism, stated: "Because you didn't scream when Zionist Israel refused their release, Hamas refused to release all hostages in October... You abandoned them... Refused to bring them home... Your silence was deafening... Now you want others to scream... Morals, integrity, honesty, none... Mark of Cain." Another alleged post to other users read: "Why should they be protected anymore than any other community? Some see this as the problem: Jewish communities thinking they should be put before others." On 29 November, the account allegedly asked other users: "What about the Jews that attack Christians?"
An Arsenal spokesperson stated: "We are investigating this matter in line with our internal policies and procedures. Arsenal stands against all forms of abuse and discrimination." The Guardian was unable to reach Bonnick for comment and to confirm that he owned the account. If the posts are proven to have been made by Bonnick, he could face an investigation by the Football Association, which has been made aware of the situation.
Source link: https://www.theguardian.com
