Neighbour sending me unacceptable videos on WhatsApp

[AlliBallyBoo]

Neighbour, generally nice older woman, perfectly civil but since the winter fuel allowance thing has taken to spouting all sorts of bigotry on Facebook r.e. immigration and immigrants etc.

All the usual stuff you can think of r.e. over here robbing pensioners, stealing jobs, grooming girls, sharia law coming to a town near you, not real refugees. Not just reposted, reposted with her own commentary peppered with the kinds of slurs you'd expect in a 70s sitcom etc. unfriend her because I just don't want to see it.

She's now taken to WhatsApp-ing me links to far right websites and tweets and sending short videos demonising immigrants and refugees etc.

I've messaged back saying I don't want to receive these types of messages and now blocked her.

Not sure what to do. Not sure if I should report her to the police, if she's sending it to me she's definitely sending it to others and whilst I'm not keen on telling tales on people this feels like it goes on unchallenged too often and is part of the reason that xenophobic rhetoric has become so commonplace.

Any thoughts?

Why is labelling hate speech, “hate speech” intolerant? It’s merely a descriptor.

The use of the term "hate speech" is not "merely a descriptor". This is a minimisation of the fact that the term is being used to label, pursue and persecute people who hold views that differ from those of the person using the term. It is a term that is increasingly being used to intimidate those who have relevant and reasonable questions and objections to policies that are being imposed undemocratically and without sufficient, rigorous debate. It creates a climate of fear and stifles free speech and free thought. It is the epitome of intolerance.

But she is engaging in hate speech.

In that regard it is merely a descriptor of what she is doing.

It’s mind boggling to me that people having no issue with being bigoted and engaging in hate speech - but get mortally offended when you point that is what they are doing.

While there is no universal definition this is from the UN and this accurately reflects her comments:

To provide a unified framework for the United Nations to address the issue globally, the UN Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech defines hate speech as…“any kind of communication in speech, writing or behaviour, that attacks or uses pejorative or discriminatory language with reference to a person or a group on the basis of who they are, in other words, based on their religion, ethnicity, nationality, race, colour, descent, gender or other identity factor.”

Maybe we just have a difference of opinion over what is “relevant and reasonable” but none of this seems “relevant” or “reasonable” to me:

We should rise up against them and clear them from our streets
Bring back hanging for them
They should be shot by the navy in the channel and left to drown
People have the duty to patrol the streets to keep British women safe

Block her if you don't like her. But report her for having an opinion? Er, just no.

Seriously, how wet have we become!?

👏👏👏

Sounds like China to me and my experiences there.
Communism by the back door.

Report her to the police? For what?

I was thinking the same, you don't have to agree with others views but I personally value the right for people to have them.

It’s “wet” because we don’t wish to receive propaganda advocating death to others?

Sounds like she's been radicalised. Definitely worth logging with police / prevent in case it escalates.

You’ve blocked her. People who feel the same way as you will block her. She will be left singing to the choir.

I watched a documentary a few years ago about an American far right group. A Sikh man said those people shouldn’t be silenced “we need to know who they are.” I think he made a good point. Silencing bigots doesn’t make them less bigotted, it makes them more sly. It also gives them another axe to grind. The only way to get rid of it is to challenge the stupidity of it every time it spews from their mouths. Many are too stupid to argue with but there will be some who might start thinking about their position.

Quite. How ridiculous.

Why is is it BU to report to the police?

Prevent! FFS. They can’t even deal with repeated threats from terrorists planning atrocities. Good luck reporting your elderly neighbour.

I don't agree. What's happening in Germany at the moment is that Nazi sympathisers are gaining ground. The AfD are classed as an extremist organisation and have gained ground with young people because they are so prolific on TikTok and social media.

Musk, who speaks at their conferences, seems to have changed algorithms on Twitter to promote far right rhetoric and moderation doesn't seem to exist anymore. I've reported horrific cases of antisemitism and racism to no avail.

We have experienced a rise in far right terrorism. Look at what's happening in the States, at the insurrection and current 'book burning'. We recently had far right riots spurned on by social media. The far right are on the ascent in Europe, with many politicians calling for remigration programmes.

People are becoming indoctrinated with this bile and it's becoming normalised.

@username299 It’s complicated isn’t it. Last summer a far right group were planning to demonstrate in an area where I have friends. This could only be organised because they had a voice, which of course can be seen as a bad thing. But that voice was also heard by thousands of people who disagreed with them and turned up to make their feelings known. I don’t know if the bigots learned that they would be challenged and stayed home or if they were so outnumbered they couldn’t be heard but it was a complete failure as a far right event.

The appalling examples you gave were the bigots having a voice and rampaging without anyone challenging them. We need to know who these people are to challenge them and we need to get off our arses in our thousands to do so.

@Lurkingandlearning

Isn't that what organisations like prevent are for? To weed out extremism?

The core of the problem is the internet. For example, the manosphere is indoctrinating men and incel ideology is now classed as terrorism. We've all read about how young boys are becoming more misogynist and aggressive towards girls and women.

Millions turn to social media for their news, especially young people and many don't have critical thinking skills. It's very easy to get caught up in an algorithmic echo chamber, where one perspective is repeated over and over again until you love Big Brother.

The problem is the normalisation of extreme views. Incels chat about their right to rape women like they're swapping cake recipes. A constant drip feed of these views has been going on for years.

I'm on MN, a parenting forum, and there are constant threads on deporting foreigners, I've seen threads on the Great Replacement theory, the dangers of brown skinned men, constant anti Muslim hate and that's here. It's 1000 times worse on Twitter.

One of my family members gets this short of shite from a cousin, yet I don't for some reason. Tell her to stop sending you this shit ad explain why.

I laugh at my conspiracy theorist cousin (different person), and he doesn't bring any of his BS up in my company anymore. Those who are more polite have to listen to it.

If she knows you won't tolerate it, she'll probably stop sending it.

If you genuinely believe this kind of sentiment to be nonsense, why get so worked up about it!? Just block and move on...

She's a horrible cow. Block her. Don't report her, it's not East Germany here and it's not illegal to be a horrible person.

I’m not worked up at all, what part of my post made you think that?

I won’t accept being called wet because of my views though.

I listened to a podcast recently, very interesting and like they pointed out, letting this type of comment go unchallenged makes people think you’re siding with them.

So, call them out everytime, yes they’ll try and put you down, saying “why get so worked up”, as if you’re a small child. But just keep standing up to them and explaining why they’re wrong.

HTHs

If you don’t like this response, just ignore and move on, take your own advice.

By 'you' I meant people in general. But in response to your comment:
Letting this type of comment go unchallenged makes people think you’re siding with them.
Who cares what 'people think'? Just block and leave them to their opinions. If you want to 'speak out' separately, that's another thing entirely. But all this 'reporting people' for having an opinion is wild!

God, is she my mum @AlliBallyBoo ? Not that she adds any comment, just shares videos on our family group message of this sort of crap. I wish one of the other family members would say something to her. I just hide them now and don't give her any oxygen over them. She knows my feelings on the matter and we had a fall out at the end of last year over it. It's strange as she was brought over here as, well, an immigrant!

As I said I won’t block and ignore, I’ll call them out.

A random in the internet does not get to tell me how to live my life.

you do you, leave me to do me,

I would if I felt it appropriate report, I will it be called “wet” because of my views though.

I do hope that’s clear enough for you now?

*not be called wet