ANTI-RACISM campaigners last night commended Rangers for taking “quick and decisive” action and sending out a “very strong message” by banning the supporters who abused Celtic striker Kyogo Furuhashi.

A video showing fans of the Ibrox club chanting a racist song about the Japanese internationalist as they travelled on a bus to the cinch Premiership match against Ross County in Dingwall appeared on social media on Sunday afternoon.

The Scottish champions immediately condemned the chants and launched an investigation and yesterday they announced the individuals responsible had been identified and banned indefinitely from attending all of their matches.

The supporters’ club which the fans were members of have also been banned from receiving tickets for all future fixtures. 

Show Racism the Red Card Scotland campaign manager Jordan Allison expressed confidence that Rangers’ actions will deter anyone from behaving in a similar manner in future.

“It is a very strong message from Rangers,” he said. “They have been very quick and decisive. Our charity Show Racism the Red Card think the club have done very well in investigating and concluding with indefinite bans for the individuals responsible.

“I think it sends a strong message to anyone else thinking that they can use football as a way to express racist language, racist bias, racist rhetoric.

“I think that also taking away the right to tickets from the supporters’ group sends an equally strong message so we do commend the club for this stance. It really sends a message that racists aren’t welcome at the club or in Scottish football.”

The sickening incident on Sunday is the latest high-profile instance of footballers being abused racially abused online - Rangers centre half Connor Goldson and striker Alfredo Morelos were both targeted on Instagram last season.

Allison stated that social media companies must devote more funds to tackling the issue – but he expressed hope that the Glasgow club’s actions will serve as a powerful deterrent in Scotland.  

“It is important that people who are thinking of engaging in this type of behaviour know that there are very few to no safe spaces to do that now,” he said.

“The environment has changed. Where people may have thought they can air their views, more and more people in Scotland are feeling empowered to challenge it.

“Social media has its own issues. It is almost lawless. But what you are seeing more and more is a sense of unity and a sense of positivity.

“From what we have seen in the last 24 hours, both sides of Glasgow and people throughout Scottish football have unanimously condemned what they have seen. The resulting bans reflect that.

“Everyone is glad to see those bans from the club. It is reassuring not just to victims of racism, but also to ethnic minority football supporters throughout Scotland and white football supporters as well. We are all united in the anti-racism movement.

“But we don’t just need clubs and governing bodies to act, we also need social media to do much more as well. I could talk all day about what social media doesn’t do with the resources that it has.”