Sterling hit out against the British media and used his Instagram account to accuse newspapers of using misleading headlines to fuel racism.
Antonio, 28, who joined West Ham from Nottingham Forest in 2015, said he too had been ridiculed for the colour of his skin when he was a youngster.
"I experienced it when I was younger. I was like 10 or 11. A kid called me a monkey", he told 'Sky Sports News'.
"I've not experienced it as a professional footballer myself, but it's just one of those things where it happens. It's just how it gets dealt with."
Chelsea have confirmed that they have banned the supporters responsible.
"He's showing facts and I honestly believe he's done the right thing.
"You can blame one person, but putting it out there and showing it's not just one person that's doing it, he's saying the media, if we can stop it being in the papers, if we can stop it from the source, that's how it ends."
"Sometimes we need to come out and give opinions about it, especially with racism. We need to make sure people respect each other. This is something really important.
"Sometimes for Raheem it's been really tough. All I can say, because I know him, is that he's a really nice lad...I think it was brave to say what he did on social media".