The social media account shared the same name and photos as the employee
Account on social media site X interacted with members of Jewish community
By TAMARA PRENN
Published: 19:11 EST, 11 December 2024 | Updated: 19:17 EST, 11 December 2024
Arsenal are reportedly undertaking an internal investigation into antiseimitic social media posts allegedly shared by an account which appears to belong to a member of staff, according to reports.
As per the Guardian, the north London club are believed to be looking into an account appearing to belong to Mark Bonnick, one of their academy's kitmen.
The user on social media site X (formerly Twitter) is believed to have used a picture of Bonnick, and a variant of his name, although the outlet reports that the account was made private on Wednesday before being deleted later that evening.
The account said to belong to Bonnick was first highlighted by @Never_Again2020, an account is dedicated to tackling antisemitism, who posted a screenshot of interactions that the user had with members of the Jewish community.
User @BonnickMark contacted investigative journalist and antisemitism campaigner David Collier in late November on the topic of the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza, writing: 'Yes it is all about Jewish supremacy & not wanting to share the land Ethnic cleansing.'
In early December, he interacted with Collier again, adding: 'Hamas offered to release all hostages in October. Zionist Israel refused. Persecution complex.'
Arsenal have reportedly launched an internal investigation into a member of staff working at their academy
Mark Bonnick (pictured right) is alleged to shared antisemitic social media posts on X
Other posts on social media included an interaction with antisemitism campaigner Heidi Bachram, which read: 'Because you didn’t scream when Zionist Israel refused their release Hamas refused to release all hostages in October … You abandoned them … Refused to bring them home … Your silence was deafening … Now you want others to scream … Morals integrity honesty none … Mark of Cain.'
Further posts allegedly from the account belonging to Bonnick asked: 'What about the Jews that attack Christians?', and 'Why should they be protected anymore than any other community? Some see this as the problem Jewish communities thinking they should be put before others.'
Arsenal issued a statement when contacted by the outlet for comment, saying: 'We are investigating this matter in line with our internal policies and procedures. Arsenal stands against all forms of abuse and discrimination.'
The FA has also been informed of the matter, and if Bonnick is found to have posted the social media conversations, he could face a further investigation from the governing body.
The Guardian was not able to confirm that Bonnick was the owner of the account.