Bournemouth footballer visits Boscombe school to give discrimination talk

The 24-year-old attended Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School on Thursday, April 29, to speak with the children about racial abuse, social media and why he continues to take the knee.

The Dutchman led a talk in front of years 5 and 6 on his upbringing, with a Dutch father and a Nigerian mother, his personal experience of racial abuse and what youngsters can do to reduce the impact of discrimination online.

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The Bournemouth winger was asked by one of the students about his thoughts on the recent social media boycott by several clubs and players.

"Stand up for what is right, especially on social media," he said.

"Social media is a platform where you should know that you can always be racially abused by anyone at any time.

"I think, especially as a kid nowadays, with Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, you name it, it is very much uncontrollable what they can say to you.

“The applications may look fun but if you are being racially abused all the time on social media platforms, it can have a very big impact on you as well.

“So, I think it is very good on the weekend to have a blackout it just proves that, if you are together, you can take matters into your own hands and you can always fight for improvement.”

In March, Danjuma was the victim of Islamophobic abuse on social media, following an interview in which he expressed his frustration at people calling taking a knee a waste of time.

“I am taking the knee still just to show the message, but I think the penalties could be harsher, especially on social media platforms," he said. "I think there is still a lot to improve there.”

At the end of his visit, Danjuma handed over a signed AFC Bournemouth shirt to the school and signed other shirts that schoolchildren had brought in.

Headteacher Simon Lennon said: “Corpus Christi Primary School is embarking on an initiative to further raise the profile of EDI (equality, diversity and inclusion).

“The recent and ongoing high-profile events across the globe relating to equality has prompted the governing body and school leaders to examine the EDI protocols practised across the school, and to consider whether more can be done to address the subject of EDI in our community.

“Having heard Arnaut Danjuma’s interview about continuing to take the knee to raise awareness of racism, and his conviction that education is the foundation for a more just society, we were eager to invite him to speak with children and staff about his experiences.

“We feel his message aligns with Corpus Christi’s EDI statement where we commit to treating our whole school and the wider community with dignity and respect. Arnaut is using his platform as a professional footballer to promote a more just society and made a deep impression upon our children and staff.”