The alleged incident occurred at the beginning of the Corona pandemic and in light of the comprehensive closure imposed by the British authorities in 2020. Williams claimed that a group of “Asians” assaulted her, using anesthesia and threatening with weapons.
Three years have passed since British Elinor Williams (22 years) claimed that she was beaten and raped by what she described as an "Asian Muslim gang" in the town of Barrow, northwestern Britain.
The alleged incident occurred at the beginning of the Corona pandemic and in light of the comprehensive closure imposed by the British authorities in 2020. Williams claimed that a group of “Asians” assaulted her, using anesthesia and threatening with weapons.
One photo showed bruises on her face that she had posted on Facebook along with details of how she had been kidnapped, beaten and raped. This image was capable of causing a huge stir in the world of social media platforms, and garnered more than 10,000 posts from its sympathizers.
The matter did not stop here, as the hashtag #JusticeForEllie invaded communication platforms and British streets, becoming a sticker on cars and shops. A global campaign of solidarity with Williams, such as the sale of purchases in her name, was announced to support her cause .
It is noteworthy, as observers see, that the police began investigations directly with a number of reservations on the grounds that the plaintiff has a history of false reports, and that she has a criminal record with the police dating back to 2016. This criminal record did not prevent the occurrence of popular solidarity campaigns with her, which raises questions about the role of Misinformation campaigns on social media platforms promote feelings of hostility and hatred of the other.
Over time, evidence emerged proving that the incident was fabricated. As evidenced by the surveillance cameras of the "Tesco" store, Williams appeared on the day of the accident buying a hammer (the tool she used to harm herself), and the story of her claim that she was smuggled to Amsterdam to be trafficked was also proven false.
With evidence refuting her claims, the Preston Crown Court in the British county of Lancashire ruled that the plaintiff be imprisoned for 8 and a half years, on conviction of eight counts of perverting the course of justice .
Counterfeiting ignites racism
After her investigation, Williams expressed regret for the events that occurred after her Facebook post, but did not drop her claim. After the story was widely circulated on accounts specialized in igniting strife and spreading rumors, racists flocked to the town of Barrow, which is usually far from quarrels and quarrels, and held demonstrations denouncing the police's complicity with what they called "Asian gangs", after two years of investigations.
The far right played a major role in the events, especially after the intervention of Barrow City MP , N Furness, to raise the issue several times in parliament and demand justice for the plaintiff.
And Doug Marshall, the chief investigation officer of the Williams case, described her post as "promoting a disgusting state of racism, chaos and accusing the innocent. It was like a bomb on the town of Barrow, detonated by a single post on Facebook."
These events highlight a phenomenon that has been prevalent for years in the West, Islamophobia, which is represented by unwarranted fear of Muslims and prejudice against them.
Because of this issue, racist attacks occurred against Muslims individually and collectively. For example, a young man called Muhammad Ramadan was arrested and subjected to hundreds of death threats and the destruction of his shop from racists. Another, Jordan Trigov, was jailed for two and a half months in connection with the case. 3 defendants also attempted suicide due to their inability to live amidst the prosecutions.
Regarding the phenomenon of Islamophobia in the West, Dr. Muhammad Haidar, a researcher in political and economic affairs in Britain, said in his interview with TRT Arabic: "What we see of campaigns against Islam can only be described as organized and studied."
The police in Paro also recorded 151 crimes of harassment, looting and hate crimes in 2020, and Indian restaurants were targeted in particular.
Political incitement to racism
Haider told TRT Arabic, "The campaigns against Islam are clearly visible, supported by organizations and countries, and well planned according to an agenda that undoubtedly has malicious goals. They do not mind the spread of these phenomena under the pretext of freedom of opinion."
He adds, "These smear campaigns are a danger to Western societies, as they are a mixture of different religions, which paves the way for the existence of grounds for collision and the escalation of hate crimes."
He explains, "For example, in France, a citizen of African descent faces alienation from French society, which causes barriers between the components of society that reach demographical separation in order to avoid clashes."
Regarding the West's intention to broadcast a distorted image of Muslims, Haider says: "This system of hatred has highlighted tendencies that seek to antagonize Muslim societies with all weapons, represented by publishing media materials and exploiting daily and political events to show Islam in a bad way."
Dr. Haidar referred to British police statistics, which recorded 3,459 hate crimes against Muslims in Britain in 2022, an increase of 24% over 2021. He considered, "The existence of these crimes has dire consequences for the component of Western societies, and it will reflect a state of instability, especially if officials there are silent about it." .
Shocking numbers of racism
In its report for the current year, the Coordination for Combating Islamophobia in Europe revealed that 467 incidents related to racism, 128 related to hatred, 71 insults, 59 related to moral harassment, 44 defamation, 27 related to physical assaults, and 33 related to the anti-separatism law, all over European countries, especially France. .
The Coordination Committee also mentioned that the waves of Islamophobia have risen dramatically in the last year.
The report indicates that schools are a fertile ground for the spread of Islamophobia, as 115 sub-reports were monitored in secondary schools, 34 reports in primary education, and 19 in higher education.
The coordination report came days after the leader of the Danish far-right "hard line" party, Rasmus Paludan, on January 21, burned a copy of the Noble Qur'an near the Turkish embassy in Stockholm.
Against the background of the crimes of Islamophobia, the United Nations General Assembly approved March 15 as an international day to combat Islamophobia.
Fakhruddin Altun, head of the Turkish Presidency's Communications Department, told Anadolu Agency that Turkey, Malaysia and Pakistan intend to establish a media platform to combat Islamophobia .
And at the beginning of this year, Canada appointed its first special representative to combat Islamophobia, a position created after a series of attacks targeting Muslims recently in the country.
Journalist and activist Amira Al-Ghawabi will occupy the position "to be an advocate, advisor, expert and representative in support of the federal government's efforts to combat Islamophobia, systemic racism, and racial and religious discrimination," according to a statement from the Canadian Prime Minister's Office.
Tags:
CITY