Judy Gatiss - Ignore, Block, Move On

Being committed to anti-racism, sadly, means attracting adverse comment from those who are not thus committed: not just the openly racist and otherwise bigoted, but also those who use racism to further their own ends, like many who work in and around our free and fearless press, who may no longer deal with explicit racism, but all too often, you can see it from there. And then there are a whole range of bad faith actors.

The claims, and the spelling, ain't making it

These, from personal experience, tend to get muted or even blocked on Twitter, given that watching paint dry is far more entertaining, and that there are only so many hours in a day. But recently, despite my having blocked her, someone called Judy Gatiss is appearing with increasing regularity, her modus operandi being, it seems, to go after known anti-fascists by smearing them, even indulging in doxxing. That is bang out of order.

What the owner of this account, and those who are taken in by its presence, seem not to understand is this: anyone who deals with anti-fascists knows who the good people are, and who they are not. When the good people start to attract abuse from someone who pretends to be an anti-fascist, it is not difficult to conclude that the person doing the attacking is probably mistaken, or a bad faith actor indulging in trolling.

And that is when we arrive at Judy Gatiss, who I blocked after seeing the account going after people I knew to be committed anti-fascists, smearing as it went. Some may have been taken in; those people might usefully reconsider. Some of the allegations the account makes are untrue and potentially actionable, but then, it’s possible the calculation has been made that those targeted don’t have the means to go to law.

It’s clear that Judy Gatiss is a disruptive presence, intentionally or otherwise. So the people at Resisting Hate, themselves no strangers to abusive behaviour, put together some of this account’s recent social media history in order to demonstrate the problem.

The result was all too predictable: Judy Gatiss did not take the hint and the attacks got worse. More Tweeters were targeted. Tagging online news providers and the accounts of well-known people has continued. Those telling her she’s wrong may find themselves smeared in return. Engaging with Judy Gatiss is pointless.

Genuine anti-fascists do not smear and doxx other anti-fascists, and nor do they seek to divide and disrupt them. Why Judy Gatiss does that could be the sign of a bad faith actor, it could be self-promotion, or indeed a sign that she needs help. But none of those explanations justify the abuse that is being meted out to good, decent anti-fascists.

So what to do? Simples. One, read the Resisting Hate explainer, which goes into detail on the Judy Gatiss account and its behavioural habits. Two, block the Judy Gatiss account. And then Three, move on and leave that account frothing and ranting. Ultimately, those few who have been taken in will tire of the bad behaviour, and follow suit.

The old Usenet adage was Don’t Feed The Trolls. It endures, even today. That is all.

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