Racist vigilantes on local FB page

[FromanEmpire]

I live in a small town with a military history. As such, we have had quite a few Afghan refugees settled here.

A few days ago, a woman posted to say that an Afghan refugee had been in the park and walking around watching her toddler. She turned away to feed her other child, and when she turned back, he was holding her toddler and walking off. She asked her sister who was with her to go and get the toddler back. Then, apparently, he said no to the sister several times and said he was taking the toddler home with him. Eventually, the toddler was returned.

Cue extensive outrage all over the Facebook page. Comments calling for riots and violence, comments locating the man involved, comments getting a few men together for a game of "human football"... Obviously people asked why she hadn't called the police and she said she had but they weren't interested.

Anyway, then there are posts of the man in different locations and people threatening to go after him.

Then, it turns out, the woman has partly lied and partly told half-truths about the whole things. Firstly, not a local Afghan refugee at all. Not local, on holiday. Not Afghan, police confirmed he's not Afghan but didn't say what he is. Not a refugee, here on holiday (we live in a touristy place). Police also confirmed it wasn't reported to them until the evening - and also that the report was made by a man. So, she didn't report to the police - just to Facebook.

It also turns out, the man was in the park with his own children (she made it sound like he was there alone) and that the toddler approached him, while the mum wasn't paying any attention, and asked to be picked up. And, of course, very strange that if a man were walking off with your toddler, you'd just ask him nicely to put them down...

Frankly, I feel really uncomfortable by this. This woman has blatantly lied and misled people to try and rile up a riot. I'm also scared by how many people were commenting incredibly racist things and calling for violence against (what turned out to be) an entirely innocent man. I'm really shocked, and I like where I live less now.

Another one 🥱

Sorry?

Facebook is the absolute worst, I honestly think it needs to be deleted. I'm not one for conspiracy theories but if it came out that the Russians were using FB to destabilise western democracy I wouldn't be surprised!! (I'll get my tinfoil hat)

I kind of thought a lot of these things were bots or similar when I see posts online. The issue here is that I know these people and know they're real human beings. I cannot imagine going to a toddler group or school fair or something with people after the things they've said.

Not only have they shown a complete and total lack of critical thinking or basic intelligence, but they're also blatantly racist and violent too.

I feel very uncomfortable about it.

ODFOD.

Happy for the mods to confirm I'm a regular poster. Happy to show mods screenshots of the FB page too to prove it's real.

There's nothing "inflammatory" because surely no one thinks it's acceptable to lie about someone trying to kidnap your child or to threaten to physically assault someone.

I glad that I've never participated in FB. It's a pit of banality and the worst of mankind. If someone tells me they use FB I'm afraid they are judged harshly.

If you're using FB op, just get rid of it. I absolutely share your fear and disgust about what you saw, but sadly you can't change it, you can only refuse to be part of it.

We have one of these every week on my local FB group, either man in the park or man in a van. They’re always either Asian or Eastern European. Somehow they’re never successful or any realistic resolution/action happens. Meanwhile, county lines are running rampant, drug deals on the corner of the street in the middle of the day, the whole estate reeks of weed and there’s gangs of balaclava clad teens on escooters running about dealing and transporting.

This is my first post because the Facebook post is public and I don't want my regular name and the (very small) town I live in pieced together.

As I said, mods can confirm that.

People namechange all the time on here - it's not a conspiracy.

You're right but I find it useful. Things like the nearby a-road always being closed for a crash or getting advice on local mechanics/dog trainers/etc.

I think it's important for people to be aware of how sm is being used to manipulate. FB is a cesspit for this sort of thing, I'd encourage anyone who has it to get rid.

Were the police commenting on the Facebook page? Seems very unlikely.

We get those but they've not be racist or race-related (that I've noticed). Always just "teens walking down the road - look out!" or "suspicious van... driving... on a road..."

Yes, they posted on their own Facebook page about a "report update", and that was shared to the local Facebook page.

How would you know if someone's name-changed unless you search for every OP? You're being ridiculous.

OP, I understand. Today I was driving through my local town which is quite a 'naice' little town and someone/some people have put LARGE England and GB flags on all the lampposts through the centre and out the other side. It's a long road. It's the site of anti immigrant demos so I know these are not in celebration but a declaration of 'We are English, foreigners are not welcome!' I am married to an 'immigrant' and my children are brown. It made me uncomfortable - and sad to think I can't walk around this town, even this local area, with my family anymore without feeling like an outsider. It's so horrible. I know not everyone is racist but it's enough people that those flags have been kept up and it's enough people to make me feel very uncomfortable.

All the other stuff is ignored. Not happening. And if someone does dare complain they quickly get shut down which is probably why no one bothers anymore, but the other stuff is like I said, weekly. Be vigilant people! Protect your kids!

Sounds like no one on the Facebook page knew really what happened and that it's all based on rumour? How would they know that the toddler approached a man asking to be picked up. That's the trouble with these kinds of Facebook posts. Best to stay off them.

It's weird and stalky.

No it's not. Advanced search is an MN tool, that includes searching user names. If you think that, take that up with MN.

They do!!! there are plenty of reports about Russian using SM, not only FB, but all of them, to destabilise western democracies.
And seeing changes here on MN and strongly suspect they started here as well.

I still think it's weird and stalky.

It started with the mum's post. It was eventually removed, after hundreds of comments.

The police posted on their page, the local councillor did a post too, a few people did posts with pictures of the man saying "he's in [x place] now". But then the dad (of the toddler) also commented on one post saying how he's angry at the police because they said that, because the toddler asked to be picked up, it's not a crime to pick him up... The dad also said he was the one to call the police that evening even though the mum said earlier that she'd called straight away.

The police and councillor were very diplomatic in their posts but the subtext was kind of "this isn't true".