Leeann Dempster praises Hearts’ handling of Marvin Bartley racism
Footage of Bartley being subjected to vile abuse emerged on social media in the aftermath of Hibs’ 2-1 win on Saturday. The 32-year-old midfielder was called a “n*****” amid a flurry of expletives.
A number of Hearts fans utilised the club’s unacceptable conduct text line to inform the authorities of the incident.
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Hide Ad“When I saw the incident on Monday, I was very shocked by it,” Dempster said. “Every incident of that nature is shocking, but that was particularly graphic and in terms of the audio. To see that on film was really awful. It was great credit to the people at Hearts – and the supporters of Hearts – who ensured the individual concerned was dealt with.”
Bartley showed remarkable poise in reacting to the abuse.
Dempster said: “It was incredibly difficult for Marvin to see and hear, and I felt he dealt with it really well, as did the people at Hearts.”
An arrest was made in connection with an alleged racist incident at the match.