GMB Richard Madeley
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GMB: Richard Madeley and Susanna Reid condemn Boris Johnson’s reaction to racist trolls after Euro 2020 final

Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka and Jadon Sancho subjected to the abuse

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GMB presenters Richard Madeley and Susanna Reid criticised Boris Johnson for failing to take action against racist trolls following the Euro 2020 final.

On Sunday night, England lost against Italy in the final of the tournament leaving the nation heartbroken.

However, players Marcus Rashford, 23, Bukayo Saka, 19, and Jadon Sancho, 21, have been subjected to vile racism following the defeat.

All three players missed penalties and were targeted on social media.

GMB Richard Madeley
Susanna criticised Boris Johnson’s reaction to the racist trolls (Credit: ITV)

What did Boris Johnson say?

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Twitter that those responsible for the racist abuse should be “ashamed”.

Read more: Prince George is all of us as he reacts to England losing in the Euro 2020 final

His tweet read: “This England team deserve to be lauded as heroes, not racially abused on social media.

“Those responsible for this appalling abuse should be ashamed of themselves.”

GMB Richard Madeley
Mr Johnson said the trolls should be “ashamed of themselves” (Credit: ITV)

Richard Madeley and Susanna Reid slam Boris Johnson on GMB

Sharing her thoughts on the message, Susanna said: “I was going to say, he sounds like a slightly disappointed parent.

“I mean for goodness sake, it’s got to be a bit more than ‘You should be ashamed of yourself.'”

Richard also said: “I wish he’d call for prosecutions, it’s not enough just to condemn it.

“It’s criminal behaviour. These are heroes.”

GMB Richard Madeley
Richard and Susanna slammed the trolls (Credit: ITV)

Meanwhile, earlier in the programme, Richard called for those responsible for the racist abuse to be “locked up”.

He said: “I do think personally, we’ve had enough of this racism. It’s not enough to too call it disgusting.

“We have to track these people down and it’s possible through IP addresses.

“We need to spend some money and some time and some officers to get these guys and to, bring them to court and to lock them away because it is not representative of this country.”

GMB Richard Madeley
Gareth Southgate comforting Saka after England’s defeat (Credit: ITV)

He added: “It is a disgusting distortion of what this country now is today. Didn’t use to be, but now we are a properly diverse, wonderful country to live in.

Read more: Richard Madeley’s GMB interview with Susan Michie sparks Ofcom complaints

“These people who are sending these messages are breaking the law…

“…they’re breaking a profound moral code and they need to be dragged by the scruff of the neck into the dock.”

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Rebecca Carter
Associate Editor (News)