Elton John has hit out at internet trolls by saying that they must face accountability for posting “hateful” remarks online.

The music icon criticised the largely anonymous hate-spreaders for making the world “really divided and really cruel”.

John has faced his fair share of criticism over the course of his career, but he’s now waging a war against the anonymous people who attack online, knowing they won’t face repercussions.

Speaking to Zane Lowe on Apple Music, he said: “We’ve lived through two or three years of divisiveness throughout the whole world, and especially in America, but around the world, and during lockdown, we’ve seen social media being used to abuse people racially. Not just being gay, but racially as well.

“People are so cruel to each other and it’s because they hide behind their social messaging or whatever they do. If they had to write their names on it, they wouldn’t do it. And I just think it’s just awful that people can write anonymous things about people being gay, being of another political persuasion, religious persuasion, or just plain racial (abuse).”

He added: “I just think that we have to ask ourselves at this time that it’s not good enough for people to be able to post anonymous things online. They have to be accountable for what they say. It’s making the world really divided and it’s really cruel.”

Opening up on anti-Asian hate, he said: “People in America are being abused for being Asian because of the Covid thing, and it’s like, ‘Oh, come on’.

“And it’s all down to the hateful messaging that people are putting on their social network. And we have to do something about it.”

Earlier this week, Elton John teamed up with Rina Sawayama to release a new version of her song ‘Chosen Family’.