Southport, riots and classism on MN - middle class woman started the rumours

[twodowntwotogo]

One aspect of MN that I find tiresome and upsetting is the classism, for example describing someone's taste as 'chavvy', and then the multiple posts characterising the riots as not happening in 'nice' places, and the rioters as uneducated, oiks, etc.

Today the Times is carrying an article about the instigator of the unrest:
'The woman accused of being first to post a false Muslim name for the suspect is the managing director of a clothing company. The mother of three in her mid-fifties enjoys walking, is married to an artist and counts an actor among her children. The family live in a £1.5 million farmhouse in the rural north.'

Non-paywall version here: <a class="break-all" href="https://archive.ph/2024.08.07-184043/www.thetimes.com/uk/crime/article/mother-of-three-sparked-havoc-with-false-claim-about-southport-suspect-bd6kkzgpn#selection-2207.0-2207.307" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://archive.ph/2024.08.07-184043/www.thetimes.com/uk/crime/article/mother-of-three-sparked-havoc-with-false-claim-about-southport-suspect-bd6kkzgpn#selection-2207.0-2207.307

So AIBU to want MN posters to dial down the classism and stop jumping to conclusions and understand that Farage and BoJo and countless other middle/upper class people may not be out on the streets setting bins on fire, but often provide the spark through inflammatory speech?

Paywall. Can't read it.

https://archive.ph/2024.08.07-184043/www.thetimes.com/uk/crime/article/mother-of-three-sparked-havoc-with-false-claim-about-southport-suspect-bd6kkzgpn#selection-2207.0-2207.307%22%20rel=%22nofollow%20noindex%22target=%22_blank%22

...

Or just https://archive.ph/lRSVL.

Think you've probably missed your opportunity to discuss this particular woman - the Times article was published before she was arrested yesterday

It would be a pity to de-rail any forthcoming court case with speculation were she to be charged

Yes the middle classes are sitting behind their keyboards riling people up I can't get your article to load. I do get your point and agree with you but posting articles from behind paywalls is a bit off not everyone can access the times.

This loaded better thanks.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/metro.co.uk/2024/08/08/woman-first-shared-fake-southport-suspect-rumour-sparked-riots-arrested-21389346/amp/

She’s a conspiracy theorist so has previous, claims she was told from someone in Southport ?????????

When people list individuals who are responsible for inflaming the riots, they list middle class people like Farage, Musk and Hopkins rather than the inviduals who have appeared in court or will have their doors kicked down in the coming days.

You’re the one making a big deal about class.

You are 100% spot on, OP which, rather tellingly tbh, is why you've not had hundreds of responses on this thread. Just my personal opinion.

I'm relatively new to MN but I'm genuinely staggered at how little MN moderators actually moderate this site, particularly with regards to misinformation.

There’s a long and inglorious history of privileged people whipping up the working classes. It’s how fascism always takes hold.

Blame the poor, the immigrants, the religious minorities. That way people won’t wonder why the elites are hoarding all the resources.

This!!!!!

They don't actively moderate. If you see misinformation, then you need to report the posts. They rely on users to do this.

👏👏

I'm sorry, I cut and pasted the URL directly from the archived piece as I thought that would work

I haven't seen any posts saying that the instigators were working class. I've seen talk of Nigel Farage, Tommy Robinson (who clearly has plenty of money from somewhere), Stella Bravaman, Boris Johnson etc. To be fair, the most comments about "working class" I have seen have been from people complaining about the middle classes telling them what to think, in defence of the rioters.

The people actually rioting are the "useful idiots" who have been whipped up and manipulated to blame their difficulties on people worse off than themselves. It's very telling reading comments on here and on Facebook when I keep seeing the same arguments, misinformation and phrases used by people. There has clearly been a targeted push of misinformation to stir people up.

None of that absolves the rioters of responsibility for their actions though. Whatever class they are from.

@DownThePubWithStevieNicks Absolutely correct. You'll notice how there doesn't seem to be much racism amongst the wealthy.
It's a convenient scapegoat for the hard done by working classes to direct their anger.
The fear is that the anger will be directed at those in charge and there'll be uprisings and demands. It's so important to keep them in their place.

YANBU at all. Hollie McNish wrote a great poem about this called ‘When we laugh at fascists’ faces and nothing changes’, it’s on her Instagram.

People love to point at those rioters who are ugly, uneducated, working class, have criminal records etc and say ‘look at the awful thugs, they don’t represent Britain’ when the people who have engineered this crisis and who profit most from stoking immigration fears are much more likely to be rich, well educated and powerful.

This.

These online idiots influence the thugs so are ultimately responsible. You cannot light a touch paper then stand back and pretend you had nothing to do with the fire

Good news that this woman has been arrested. Let’s see what happens next.

Ignorance, xenophobia, racism and a delusional belief that everything wrong with one’s life is a migrants fault, transcends all classes and income brackets.

You only have to look at E Musk to see that.

The far more interesting issue is what’s happening with men across both the UK and US. They’re not just blaming migrants, they’re blaming women.

The theory a few antagonists started countrywide riots is nonsense.

So AIBU to want MN posters to dial down the classism and stop jumping to conclusions and understand that Farage and BoJo and countless other middle/upper class people may not be out on the streets setting bins on fire, but often provide the spark through inflammatory speech?

There have been absolutely loads of people blaming Farage for the way he has inflamed the issue.