The President of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) received Peace and Sport in his office on the Place de la Concorde in Paris and shared his views on his fight against online abuse. Mohammed Ben Sulayem advocates unity, and hopes to unite as many people as possible around a cause that is very important to him.
Why was the fight against online abuse one of your immediate priorities as President of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile?
I experienced first-hand the criticism when I was competing in a sport (rallying) dominated by Europeans. In the beginning, it was very difficult for me not to be accepted. To start being accepted, I had to prove to myself, and not to others, that I could drive a car and win.
Depending on the person and their personality, the reaction can be different. For some people like me, if you attack them or try to intimidate them, they get stronger. But that’s not the case for everyone. Some weaken and disappear. They’re good at what they do, but they don’t know how to defend themselves against abuse.
When I ran for the presidency of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), some Europeans told me that it was out of the question for someone like me, from a part of the world they didn’t even want to name, to become president. They said that to me even though there were other people around. And I started laughing, because they’re the problem, not me. My European friends, those who supported me, were very upset, but I told them to calm down.
Was it essential for you to fight against this form of bashing, which often takes place on social networks?
People, including young people, are victims of harassment, accusations, fabrications and violence. And this will continue if we don’t do our part. We must do more than just organise races; we are responsible for much more. We need to take collective action against abuse. It’s a marathon, but by standing united, we can make a difference. I quickly realised that something had to be done and that it was possible to take action. And I wasn’t the only one. Members the team were also victims of accusations and attacks, and so were some of the race marshals. We mustn’t forget that, like other disciplines, our sport exists thanks to volunteers. If we don’t protect our volunteers, our staff, our drivers, our families and our community, our sport will be broken beyond repair. And it’s only a matter of time. Social networks can have a positive impact on society, but they can also be misused.
“We must not mess up other people’s lives”
As President, you had no obligation to deal with this issue head-on…
It’s a responsibility. I feel I have to do it. When it only concerned me, I didn’t take it into account. But when I saw what was happening to the others, the drivers and the officials, I said to myself that it was out of the question to let things go that way. It would be irresponsible. “United Against Online Abuse” is not the property of the FIA, it belongs to all the federations. I’ve met politicians, who are also attacked when they stand for election. This fight is everyone’s responsibility.
These online attacks are a disease that settles in families, in people’s brains when they’re alone, when there’s no one beside them, when they’re in front of their computer with nothing else to do. Enjoy life instead! Life is beautiful. Yes, it’s not always fair, no-one will deny that. But you mustn’t mess up other people’s lives. Polluting people’s minds is not acceptable.
What can be done to combat this widespread phenomenon?
The people who are guilty of abuse and who don’t have the courage to come forward, that’s who we want to fight. And we want to defend the victims. It is possible to take action, and collectively the momentum is there. Bringing those guilty of online abuse to justice whenever we can will send a very strong and clear message to those who thought of doing the same thing. Raising awareness is important, but taking strong action is just as important. And I’m very proud that we now have ten governments with us in this fight, nine sports organisations and twelve other organisations, representing more than a million athletes. I think we need even more of them, because our voice will be even stronger.
We need numbers and quality to raise our voices and say: “Online abuse is unacceptable!” We need to clean up our sport and this is not a problem specific to motor sport, but to all disciplines. And believe me, working together is the only way forward.
“Momentum has built up”
How have things changed since the ‘United against online abuse’ campaign was launched two years ago?
The momentum has built up, for example by getting support from other governments, getting more athletes involved and getting support from the European Union. The EU provided a grant for this project because it saw that this was a real problem. It’s a scourge, it’s a disease. A lot of people have already had this bad experience. I’m sorry, but even if you’re a fan of someone else, you have to respect everyone. If you allow someone to cross the line, it’s going to become a jungle. That’s not acceptable. It starts when you’re young, when you plant the seed that allows you to know what’s right and what’s wrong. You don’t have to go to school to know this. It’s common sense. Your family teaches you the right way to think as you grow up. As far as I’m concerned, I’ve never hated a person. I hate what they do if they abuse people online. And there’s a difference between hating someone and what they do. For me, the message has to be clear and strong. And strength doesn’t just come from prevention, you have to have influence to change people’s minds. People have to understand that this is a serious matter and fear the consequences. How can a human being give themselves the right to destroy the career of a young boy or girl? This is unacceptable.I’m pleased that this fight is making progress, that results are coming, even if there’s still work to be done. It’s like planting a seed. You have to look after it at the beginning, protect it, give it water… Then you get the fruits, and the fruits are the results.I hope we’ll succeed in eradicating this phenomenon, but to do so we have to keep working. It takes perseverance, and it’s important to have good allies.
“We must act and use sport as a lever for peace”
Can you tell me why Peace and Sport is a good ally and why it’s so important to be out in force in this fight?
Peace and Sport was one of our first supporters. Sport is peaceful, a lever for peace. Sport has no barriers. So it must always be protected, because when all links and communications break down, sport still has an effect. And that’s where it can bring people together and help peace to take root. For me, it’s good cooperation, that’s for sure. We can communicate in a better way and on a wider scale, and they inspire other organisations.
It’s sometimes difficult to talk about peace in the sporting world, even though it’s essential. Can you explain what this means to you?
I think it’s important not just to talk about it, but to take action, to use sport as a lever for peace. Some athletes may not know how to talk about it, but they know how to set an example. Sport really does build bridges and break down walls.Through my sport, I’ve discovered places I’d never have dreamed of going, cultures, languages and religions. Some people have been racist towards me, but I’d say that’s 1 or 2%. I don’t look at the small numbers, I look at the situation as a whole. It was so nice for me to go out and meet people and not have any barriers. I have so many good memories of what I did. We need to pass on our knowledge to new generations. Social networks can have a very positive impact, but unfortunately it’s a two-sided sword that can be misused.You can try to do something and in return they criticise you. It doesn’t affect me. In Arabic, we say that the tongue has no bones, it’s not straight. You don’t have to pay attention to that. The problem is when it affects your family, there are athletes who have quit sport because of it. It’s something that has to stop. And it won’t stop until we’re all united in the same direction. We have to believe in the cause. We have to be convinced that what we are doing is right, and follow the plan to eradicate these bad behaviours.
Do you see people’s mindsets evolving around this fight, do you see any positive changes?
Yes, that’s changing, but it won’t change just because of the FIA or a federation. Our athletes also play an important role. They have a responsibility, a duty. They are stars, the idols of the people who watch them. The FIA has been in existence for 121 years, and it issues their licences. We want them to be the best, to be protected, to have another life after sport. We want them to make money and for the fans to support them.
But we have to get our house in order, because online abuse could have catastrophic consequences. When you look at what happened with Jack (Doohan)… [the driver’s family suffered a wave of cyber-harassment after a fake photo was mistakenly attributed to his father and picked up by several media outlets, editor’s note] We’re working with the drivers, because we all have responsibilities. If one of us doesn’t play his role or doesn’t believe in it, it will only delay things. The impact won’t be the same.
“We want to get rid of what is toxic”
Is the younger generation as interested in the problem as the older one?
Yes. We care a lot about the new generation and they need our advice. How does it start? It starts with bad language. Our drivers have to be role models and ambassadors. We recently amended Appendix B of the regulations on this subject, because you can’t ignore the context. I’m a former rally driver, I was 14 times champion of the Middle East Rally Championship. I’m not saying I know everything, I’m still learning, but I know a lot about motor racing. I’ve heard the requests and I wanted to improve the regulations. The drivers need to set an example, and we also need to understand the conditions in which they operate.
Are you now hoping that all sports and federations will follow you in this fight?
I don’t want them to follow us, I want them to act with us. We need to be united against online abuse. We need all the support we can get, because this is an important matter for all of us. We’re not saying “work for us”, we’re saying “let’s work together”.
No one wants to take the credit for what is being done, it’s a matter of achieving our objectives. What do we want? We want peace in our sport. We want to get rid of what is toxic. Let the drivers do what they do best, race and give pleasure to the public. And the fans should enjoy that, with respect for everyone.
Peace and Sport – Simon Bardet