Wales players Taulupe Faletau and Justin Tipuric have added their names to a pledge which strives to put an end to bullying of all kinds by encouraging people to speak out if they hear bullying or teasing language. It ends with the promise to ‘stand up for fairness, kindness and never be a bystander.’
A powerful No Bystanders video http://nobystanders.org.uk/ will also be played on the big screen and on in-house TV screens around the Millennium Stadium at the New Zealand game tomorrow (Saturday) which shows the effect of hurtful taunts on young people.
WRU Group Chief Executive Roger Lewis said, “We are proud of the traditional values of rugby – of friendly camaraderie between players and supporters and also of respect towards players, fans and match officials. It is important we work hard to retain those values as they are genuine qualities of our national game and enable our sport to stand out from the crowd.”
Stonewall Cymru, the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual charity who produced the video and No Bystanders campaign, welcomed the WRU’s involvement.
Andrew White, Stonewall Cymru Director said: “Every year 75,000 young people in the UK are bullied for being gay. That’s one young person for every seat in the Millennium Stadium.
“The support of the Wales squad in calling out bullying language sends a message to thousands of supporters that we all have a part to play in stopping bullying. It’s time for us all to speak up and stop being bystanders to abuse.”
WRU pledges to stand up to bullies
The Welsh Rugby Union has backed the ‘Don’t be a bystander’ campaign as part of anti-bullying week and has called on the Welsh rugby family to clamp down on abusive language.
