Lionesses willing to boycott social media, says Leah Williamson

England and Arsenal defender Leah Williamson believes the women’s national side would be willing to join football’s boycotting of social media because “absolutely nothing is being done and it’s unacceptable.”

Amid increasing anger over social media companies’ inability to tackle online abuse, Championship clubs Swansea and Birmingham along with Scottish champions Rangers are observing a week-long social media blackout in protest against racist abuse of individuals.

Last week, the Liverpool women’s winger Rinsola Babajide, who was called up to a first senior England training camp last September, posted a screenshot of racist abuse she received via Instagram, describing how she had become “conditioned” to football’s racism problem.

Babajide is the latest high-profile women’s player to be targeted in recent months after Manchester United’s Lauren James spoke out about the abhorrent racist abuse on social media last February.

Speaking ahead of England’s friendly against Canada on Tuesday evening, Williamson suggested Hege Riise’s squad would be prepared to take a stance.

“Unfortunately members of the team and the wider squad have experienced abuse,” said Wiliamson. “They all stand together in terms of our viewpoint on it and how unacceptable it is and 100 per cent, I think a lot of the team would join collective action if that was deemed to be the most effective, because something needs to change.

“If that's the best way to do it, then any collective action, whether that be come off [social media], or take the same action on the platforms, I'm sure a lot of the girls will commit to that.

“It's the prime example of everybody just hoping that something disappears but maybe [not] actually taking any action that supports that.

“You can have all different levels and I suppose the severities of online abuse but from literally just getting abuse after a football game, because of performance, to then the colour of your skin or your sexuality, or your gender is unacceptable. I can't believe there aren't any measures to deal with them, based on severity. Absolutely nothing is being done and it's unacceptable.”

Williamson and her England colleagues will have a final chance to impress Team GB manager Hege Riise ahead of the Norwegian selecting an 18-player squad for this summer’s Tokyo Olympics in May.

Riise said she intends to make several changes to her England side that succumbed to a 3-1 friendly defeat to France in Caen last week: “It is important for us to see all the players [from England's current squad]. That was the reason we changed things up a little, to see players in different positions. We will change and hopefully see most of the squad.”