NRL stars get behind anti-racism campaign

NRL Premiers Sydney Roosters are tackling racism head-on and spreading the message that it’s not OK to discriminate.

nrl race.png

SBS

Captain Anthony Minichiello believes it will be a very rewarding experience for all the players involved, and he hopes they make a big difference.

Proud of his Italian heritage, he says he copped the odd comment or two, as a young footballer.

“There is no  place for racism, especially in our game, but not in society at all, so we’re going around the schools and starting this program, and educating them at a young age.”

Race Discrimination Commissioner, Dr Tim Soutphommasane told SBS, 20% of Australians have been on the receiving end of verbal racism, and 5% have been assaulted because of their race.

He says school kids idolise sports stars, and having the Roosters on board will make a huge difference.

“Young Australians in particularly will connect with sports stars in a way that they don’t necessarily connect with government officials like me.”

Devout Muslim Sonny Bill Williams is proud to be a role model, and arguably the biggest draw-card in the game.

He says he had no hesitation jumping on board with the campaign because racism has no place in society.


Share
2 min read

Published

Updated

By Bence Hamerli

Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world