To think that the paedophile witch hunts have to stop.

[Notss]

This isn’t really a aibu; more of a rant - so sorry in advance, but I’m scared.

I posted on another thread a while ago about my brother. He’s an admin on our village Facebook page; and a teacher by trade. Until a couple years ago he taught at the local school but suffered from severe depression and ended up attempting suicide one night. Obviously from the point of view of his pupils he just “disappeared”. After months of therapy he began his current job and is very happy teaching in the next town along.

Last year a paedophile sting video was posted to the Facebook page. The police got in touch and basically said that having that on social media can hamper investigations and should be handed over to the police, not posted on Facebook. He deleted the video and posted a notice explaining the police advice. For weeks after he was hounded with messages calling him a “nonce supporter” or simply accusing him of being a paedophile outright. People made new Facebook pages with his profile picture warning him that he was a danger to kids and it did the rounds that he was fired from the school for abusing children. Both his home address and our parents address was posted online, with people encouraging others to “sort him out.” It nearly destroyed him and he almost tried to kill himself again.

Tonight someone has posted pictures of a car and a couple of young men accusing them of taking pictures pictures of young children. Again - police have said they’re informed, please can you remove it. He’s done so and posted the notice saying why.

Less than an hour ago. Already the accusations that he must be a child abuser are coming through. He’s just been speaking to me on the phone and honestly sounded like he was having a panic attack. I’m typing this from the car as DH drives me round to spend the night with him, as I’m worried he’ll do something stupid.

Please people; this has to stop.

He needs a woman admin on the page. Shouldn’t need to but that’s the only way round it.

Perhaps he should have just removed it without explaining.
Poor guy.

@Destroyedpeople he’s tried that. Within minutes you get the “why have admin removed the post... must be a nonce himself...” sort of posts.

For his own MH, he needs to close the page or hand over to someone else.

But yes, you're right. Those things make me incredibly uncomfortable. I often think those who are so vocal are the ones with something to hide.

Stand down as admin?

I’ve told him to close the page but he’s a stubborn git and comes back with arguments that boil down to ‘don’t throw the baby out with the bath water’

Add a female admin. Better if it’s a female police officer. That could literally be their only job

Jesus that’s awful! I suppose we shouldn’t be shocked though, some people really are as thick as shit...

I agree with pp, I’d strongly encourage him to step down from the administrator role. I mean he can argue about “throwing the baby out with the bath water” but if it was my brother I’d point out that getting close to a suicide attempt could be considered the same. He really needs to think of his mental health here.

Have clear terms of reference for the Facebook page that say

• no postings that involve matters that should be or have been referred to the police will be allowed.

• No discriminatory posts
• No defamation

And state all such posts will be deleted and persistant offenders banned.

If someone starts making accusations directed at him he should screenshot them and report it to the police.

He needs to cose the page or hand it over to someone else it really isn't work it.
I've mixed feelings on paedophile hunters after watching a documentary of female hunters in Ireland.
Unfortunately there is a loophole whereas they can't be arrested for chat my only reservation is if/when they get the wrong person.
It is a sick world.

@ChazsBrilliantAttitude those rules already exist. Still get people saying it’s “against free speech”. Generally, apart from fucking it off, which I’m trying to convince him to do he follows the advice and practice above - some people just can’t seem to cope with the idea of innocent until proven guilty, or letting the police handle things.

These people must be stupid all group pages have rules.

Then I agree with others that he should step away. To coin a phrase “no good deed goes unpunished”.

These witch-hunt are dangerous. All he can do is protect himself.

I'm all for free speech usually, but these people need to be shut down. Accusing somebody of being a paedophile is way over the line and in this particular instance could have disastrous effects on his mental health of even result in an assault etc.

I'd say he'd be better off stepping down, but if not he should make clear rules as others have said and ban repeat offenders full stop. If they aren't able to post on the page then their power is immediately reduced by a large extent.

Who the fuck accused somebody of being a paedo for removing a video upon the request if the police. I wonder if the police would be happy to make a post in the group explaining their stance about removing these videos. If anybody is aiding paedophiles it's the people who are trying to go against police recommendations!

I agree. I saw footage of one the other night and it’s incredibly uncomfortable.

Can you explain the situation to the police and get them to post something on the Facebook page about it being removed under their instructions? Hopefully that might get through to some of these thickos.

Some people think that if they are the most publicly outraged by "nonces" then that makes them best person, and also the least likely to be a nonce. It's the sort of logic that you see in people who aren't very bright so you won't get much joy trying to explain to them what the problem is. They simply don't have the intelligence required to understand.

Your brother needs to ban every offender from the page and send screenshots to the police every time it happens. Really he should hand over to someone else, but it sounds like you've already suggested that and he won't.

He can set the group so all posts have to be approved before they are put on the page. It's a real problem actually. We had a local man here working in a school. It turned out he'd been grooming young girls online and sending explicit messages. One he was actually planning on meeting. In the end, he escaped with no punishment because of the case being broadcast all over social media. One of the posters was a woman who worked in the school herself and she was sacked after being told not to share it about and she continued to do it.

He needs to shut the page down or ban the idiots calling him an abuser etc and he should report the accusations being made against him.

It's not worth the mental stress for a village FB group.

Not sure what all the "depressed and left his job and had therapy and got a new job" has to do with the pedophile stuff. Was he accused of pedophilia there, too? If so, I must say I don't think I know anyone who's been repeatedly accused of this kind of thing so many times in such a short time without there being something behind it (and often with relatives swearing blind that he's a good boy who'd never have done such an awful thing and that it's all a witch hunt).

If it is just to say he was psychologically fragile, why is a psychologically fragile man doing free work for social media in a context where accusations often fly fast and free? Honestly, his reaction seems so OTT that I'd be really wondering what was going on. It's the internet. I've been accused of being a Nazi, a fascist, a communist, an anarchist, a prostitute...I took it for what it was worth, which is nothing. If I'd fallen into a deep depression over it, it's time to get off the damn internet.

I know this is probably one of those "supportive answers only, how dare you say that where there's smoke there could be fire" threads, but come on now, this is a really weird overreaction.

@WombOfOnesOwn

Not sure what all the "depressed and left his job and had therapy and got a new job" has to do with the pedophile stuff. Was he accused of pedophilia there, too? If so, I must say I don't think I know anyone who's been repeatedly accused of this kind of thing so many times in such a short time without there being something behind it (and often with relatives swearing blind that he's a good boy who'd never have done such an awful thing and that it's all a witch hunt).

If it is just to say he was psychologically fragile, why is a psychologically fragile man doing free work for social media in a context where accusations often fly fast and free? Honestly, his reaction seems so OTT that I'd be really wondering what was going on. It's the internet. I've been accused of being a Nazi, a fascist, a communist, an anarchist, a prostitute...I took it for what it was worth, which is nothing. If I'd fallen into a deep depression over it, it's time to get off the damn internet.

I know this is probably one of those "supportive answers only, how dare you say that where there's smoke there could be fire" threads, but come on now, this is a really weird overreaction.

Obviously from the point of view of his pupils he just “disappeared".

I think that's why the OP mentioned the previous depression and leaving the job, nowhere does she say anything about previous accusations, just that having left the previous job and none of the students knowing why might add to the stupid people drawing their own conclusions. Being called the things you mentioned is hardly comparable to being called a paedophile and having mentally challenged people who might do you harm actually believe it.

@WombOfOnesOwn

Not sure what all the "depressed and left his job and had therapy and got a new job" has to do with the pedophile stuff. Was he accused of pedophilia there, too? If so, I must say I don't think I know anyone who's been repeatedly accused of this kind of thing so many times in such a short time without there being something behind it (and often with relatives swearing blind that he's a good boy who'd never have done such an awful thing and that it's all a witch hunt).

If it is just to say he was psychologically fragile, why is a psychologically fragile man doing free work for social media in a context where accusations often fly fast and free? Honestly, his reaction seems so OTT that I'd be really wondering what was going on. It's the internet. I've been accused of being a Nazi, a fascist, a communist, an anarchist, a prostitute...I took it for what it was worth, which is nothing. If I'd fallen into a deep depression over it, it's time to get off the damn internet.

I know this is probably one of those "supportive answers only, how dare you say that where there's smoke there could be fire" threads, but come on now, this is a really weird overreaction.

The backstory explains why students thought he just disappeared and why people are starting rumours that he was fired/chased out for pedophilia.

You've been called names, fair enough but has it been by people you know? People whose children you might teach? People you might see in a daily basis?

Have they posted your picture,address etc alongside the name calling and accusations?

Witch-hunters will never be completely eliminated, however much you may wish they would change or be shut down. It's one of the nastier aspects of human nature, but it's unlikely to go away any time soon.

In this instance, the best advice has already been given multiple times: Your brother should either step down from his position as admin or find a female co-admin who's willing to handle issues of this kind if/when they arise.

It's understandable that he wouldn't wan to "let them win" by essentially forcing him to give up his position as admin, but sometimes self-preservation is more important than principle. If this is threatening his emotional stability and possibly another job, maybe it's time to find another interest and letting that admin position go.

I have spoken to several "paedophile hunters" and the conversation always makes me feel uneasy somehow. One groups leader refers to himself as "The Head Hunter"

I think it's their actual enjoyment of "the hunt" and a sort of pack mentality, but I never come away thinking "good on them".

He should stand down as admin then if it's causing him so much distress - there must be other admins, if not, there bloody well should be.

It's standard practice for groups to remove posts that highlight potential criminal activity precisely because the police find it hinders them - perhaps the group should pin a notice to the top of the page explaining that posts that contravene guidelines will be removed!

Is it a group or a page? That makes a difference too. You can put all posts on admin approval in a group, which means some won't ever make it to the active feed. If it's a page, you can't do that BUT you can block comments by having a prohibited words list.

The group/page needs to be adminned better with pinned warning notices and more admins.