Remembering the time MN deleted my thread about David Walliams

[musicalfrog]

It was probably around 7 or 8 years ago, can't remember what username it was under even, I was complaining about people buying his books for my young ds as I was convinced DW was a complete creep. The video of him stripping a young boy on stage really disturbed me.

The thread went well, lots of people agreed with me. But MN deleted it as it was too 'personal' or something, I assume they had legal threats and had no choice.

Just goes to show the power of the man, and how hard he tried to keep the dodgy behaviour from any kind of conversation!

I don't suppose I was the only one to have a thread deleted.

Something to ponder.

I don't remember the thread but good on you for starting it.

Hard to say really.

I think MN went through a phase of being particularly over-cautious in deleting any threads that could be construed as even vaguely litigious. That's been seen a lot on the FWB board.

I'm not saying that DW wouldn't have made them take it down, but I wouldn't be surprised if MN made the decision themselves as they seemed to make a habit of it for a while.

I feel quite sorry for the teen on stage having the video shared around. I know it illustrates the point about DW in a very visual way but it must be pretty mortifying.

At least it can all be discussed openly now - it was the world's worst kept secret!

@SpidersAreShitheads yes I think it was a wider litigious threat rather than specifically for my thread. And I don't really blame them. It's interesting to me with hindsight that the discussion just wasn't really allowed to be had.

he stripped a young boy on stage! 😳

“The thread went well, lots of people agreed with me” 😂

”Just goes to show the power of the man”

I doubt he rang up Mumsnet HQ and demanded it be taken down 🙄 Common sense would indicate you can’t just have someone throw stuff like that around without proof.

I get that you’ve created with thread because you want recognition or a pat on the back but it’s not all about you

@overnightangel the proof was online- it's still online today. I was uncomfortable having this man's written work bought for my young son. That's all!

Strange reaction you've had.

Lots of people are now discussing how men like this were protected or glossed over for so many years. This just feels like another example of that.

Wow @overnightangel you have completely missed the point!
Anyway Op, it’s a good point. Who knows how long people were questioning his behaviour only to be shut down for various reasons

Your thread was removed because it was libellous. You being right now doesn’t excuse that fact.

What if you hadn’t been right? Just yet another celebrity being hounded, unfairly judged in the court of public opinion, and their lives made a misery because of it

I think a thread that MNHQ considers inflammatory about anyone can get shut down.

Deleted - confusing with the malicious Stephen Fry thread

Was the thread libellous though? The OP,saying she thinks he’s creepy isn’t libellous. The OP saying he stripped a boy on stage if true (wtf) also isn’t libellous.

But I get that maybe the comments descended into rumours of “well I’ve heard he’s done xyz”. In which case thats libellous if unable to be proven to be true.

MN would be the one that would be sued in court. I’ve been here long enough to remember Gina Ford successfully suing MN after comments about her on a thread. If MN can’t prove any comments about Walliams were true I can understand them deleting a thread.

However I do think it raises an important point that wealthy and powerful people can shut down conversations about them due to the threat or,perceived risk of possible legal action. Obviously for some innocent people it’s good there is this. But for others it means they potentially get away with things for longer.

Which celebrities have been falsely accused and hounded, their lives ruined? I can’t think of any off the top of my head. DW obviously deserves everything he gets.

I'm finding all the people coming out of the woodwork to say that they knew something was off or they thought he was creepy are just looking to be part of something for their own benefit. Let's let the proper journalists report things and the police and courts do their jobs.

The incident was recorded for all to see and op was giving her opinion about it. That isn't libel. I agree, this shows how abuse is hidden in plain sight and anyone who questions it is shut down!

I was unaware of this incident as I have never like Walliams and he has always given me the creeps. As a result I avoided anything with his involvment.

Unless it's Meghan Markle.

No, I think it shows that we should listen to our gut instinct more often than not…

People expressing their intuition and feeling vindicated is healthy. I am one of them. He gave me the extreme creeps, just from his photo here and there, without ever being really exposed to any of his work. I am glad to know my inner senses about these things are working. Better late than never.

Good point OP. I definitely remember thread/s about people not wanting his books and i absolutely felt the same, we have never supported his work or him in anyway. Like you, I never liked him.

I agree that MN can be over zealous in deletions. Though maybexits just sensible, who knows? Remember they deleted any posts about a certain missing child at one stage.

Why interesting? Of course it wasn’t allowed to happen 7/8 years ago. At that point it would have been regarded as libellous

It is hardly surprising or something to ponder about

It’s been known for years that Walliams is extremely litigious, which I imagine has helped him get away with his behaviour over the years. Although I doubt that he threatened MN I do wonder if forums are more cautious about threads about certain celebrities because of their reputation for using the law

You can’t accuse someone of being a peadophile with no actual proof.

That is why your thread was removed.

You don’t know him or never met him - but you labelled him as a predator of children.

You are not allowed to make false accusations about people on here (even if multiple people have the same feelings or if they turn out to be true).

I remember seeing the clip on YouTube and feeling disgusted by it. He got three males on stage and asked them how old they were. When one said '16' I recall him saying 'bingo'. Not going to watch it again to confirm. Then started trying to pull his trousers down in a game of 'hide the sausage'. I mean, yeah...

The thing is, I think it would have been perfectly legitimate to start a thread about the video to which you refer, to talk about how inappropriate it was and how uncomfortable it made you feel. And also to discuss whether this appeared to be part of a wider cultural problem within the entertainment industry, whether complaints should be made, or action should be taken etc. There absolutely should be a space for public debate about such things, and it is important that we talk about them and that public figures are held to account for their behaviour.

But there is a massive difference between talking about actual observed or reported behaviour and making unsubstantiated allegations or insinuations which are based on gut feeling that someone is "a creep" rather than actual evidence. Because while those unfounded allegations might turn out to be right, they may equally turn out to be wrong.

Speculation can ruin lives when it's about people who are innocent. But it can also distract from the facts and make it easier for them to be dismissed when people are actually guilty.

There has been a lot of speculation about various celebrities on here in recent days. Some of it might turn out to be right, whereas some of it might turn out to be wrong. It would be helpful if people could stick to talking about established facts that are in the public domain instead of straying into conjecture. That way, there is no risk of unfairly defaming anyone who is innocent and it is much less likely that discussions will get shut down about those who may later turn out to be guilty.

This