Exclusive: Police set up taskforce to tackle online violence as young men seek victims on eating disorder forums

Young men and boys fuelled by “strongly misogynistic” online material are hunting for vulnerable women and girls to exploit on websites such as eating disorder and suicide forums, senior officers have said.

The threat from young males wanting to carry out serious harm is so serious that counter-terrorism officers are joining the National Crime Agency (NCA) in the hunt for them, fearing they could go on to attack or kill.

Britain’s head of counter-terrorism, Matt Jukes, told the Guardian that a joint taskforce would be set up between his force and the NCA to tackle those fixated with violence online, in what he called a “decisive moment”.

Jukes, the Metropolitan police force’s assistant commissioner for specialist operations, said the new pairing would look for those consuming online material about killings or sexual abuse. Those who might go on to plot school shootings and other mass attacks, as well as those who encouraged women and girls to harm themselves, would also fall under their remit.

      • 2ugly2live@lemmy.worldEnglish
        211·
        2 days ago
        1. It was based on a real life person who was black, not white: The creator addressed it and said it was intentional. He did it out of concerns that people who see it as a race issue versus a gender issue. He thought it would widen the audience.
        2. Why a middle class kid: Same reason as above. He wanted to show that a “Good” kid from a “Good” family could find themselves being harmed by red pill content.
        3. Why is it about “incels?” : Yes, that main case was about an older boy/teen/man, but there have been a rise in UK stabbings and sexual assault of kids by kids. It’s not specifically about incels, but the culture that’s creating them.
        4. They’re trying to say that men are just evil: No, they are not. It’s literally trying to do the opposite. It’s trying to show that these men and boys are not just evil for evils sake, or born with it, but that the ideas are fed and nurtured through family, friends, social media, etc. It showing that even a really good kid from a good family can be made into something twisted if their nursed on this kind of content.
        5. How come women get away with this but men don’t: It’s a result of the patriarchy. Because women are seen as lesser, even their crimes are seen as lesser (think of female teachers that “have sex” with students). Women are weak, so if you’re hurt by a woman, you’re weak. You were beat up by your girlfriend? Pussy, it’s not like she was a guy. He probably did something wrong, Yada, Yada, Yada. Those ideals shield some women from rightful punishment and block men from getting justice and care. (that’s actually very feminist of this video!)
        6. This had nothing to do with the mansosphere or red pill content, it’s judt a hit piece on men: Men =/= red pill. The content is for men, but not all men consume it. The idea that this young man in the show who was lying about his relationships, pleading to know if the therapist liked him, went after a girl thinking she’d be “weak” enough after having her nudes shared (and thinking the guy that sent them messed up because he should have gotten more first), and then stabbing her to death when he was still rejected is the result of those toxic teachings. He even called himself a good guy because he didn’t touch her, even though he killed her.

        Being held accountable can feel like an attack, but I hope you move past that initial anger. The show is actually very sympathetic towards the boy and his family. The show runner made the show to bring attention to the pressure cooker we are keeping men and boys in in the name of being masculine. Instead of thinking of it as a hit piece, think of it more of a man to man talk.

      • oce 🐆English
        61·
        2 days ago

        Why do you think it’s a generalization on boys rather than a denunciation of the negative impact of masculinists on boys?