Britain's Captain Tom Moore received online abuse in weeks before death

 

A woman jogs past a mural by the street artist 'Humor' dedicated to the late Captain Sir Tom Moore, amidst the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in London, Britain, February 5, 2021. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Captain Tom Moore, the World War Two veteran who raised millions of pounds for health service workers battling the coronavirus, received online abuse in the weeks before he died this month aged 100, his daughter said on Wednesday.

 

Hannah Ingram-Moore told BBC television the online messages were kept a secret, saying the abuse from "a vile minority" would have broken his heart.

 

Moore struck a chord with locked-down Britain by walking around his garden with the help of a frame to raise 38.9 million pounds ($54.04 million) for the National Health Service.

 

While he received tens of thousands of supportive messages there were some that mocked and abused him.

 

"It was as pretty horrific as it could be," said Ingram-Moore.

 

"I couldn't tell him because how do you rationalise to a 100-year-old man that something so incredibly good can attract such horror," she said.

 

"It really did hurt and it really is hard to deal with but we have dealt with it and they will not win, they will never make this amazing thing negative."

 

With a quick wit, Moore brought a simple message of hope and self-sacrifice. He died on Feb. 2 after testing positive for COVID-19 on Jan. 22, and he was also fighting pneumonia.

 

His passing drew condolences from Queen Elizabeth, the British parliament and President Joe Biden's White House.

 

Calls for social media companies to block users who send abusive messages have grown in recent weeks after several soccer players in England were targeted with racist abuse.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-02-17

 

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The man stood up for himself and his country in a time of need, no mean feat at his age. Anyone mocking or abusing him for his efforts should be deeply ashamed of themselves.

Sad that anybody could stoop so low as mock him, the man was a hero.

Without him and many thousands of others, the cretins mocking him would not be living life in freedom, but possibly still under the jackboot.

 

Sir Tom you were a HERO, and i for 1 salute what you achieved.

10 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

received online abuse in the weeks before he died this month aged 100, his daughter said on Wednesday

Truly pathetic

What a shame, but great that the family hid it from him. This chap used to ride his motorbike, guns blazing in front of tanks when fighting Japanese soldiers in India during the 2nd world war... seriously cool.  Thank you for your service.

https://www.forces.net/news/captain-sir-tom-moore-his-service-ww2

Quote

 

Capt Sir Tom, an expert motorcyclist, was tasked with riding a motorbike to the frontlines when tanks could not reach it. 

"During the night, I was at the forefront with the Indian Army, fighting the night Japanese," he said during the Captain Tom's War documentary.

"And then, in the morning, when we thought the Japanese had gone home, my motorcycle came back into the picture.

"The only way of getting to the front from the tanks was on a motorcycle through several miles of jungle, which fell to me again.

"I went back to the regiment and that was a signal that the roads were clear and people came out again."

 

 

20 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

Anyone mocking or abusing him for his efforts should be deeply ashamed of themselves.

The problem is that the type of people who commit these acts have no concept of shame!

There was a particularly nasty message from some Scottish pos just after he died, not sure if it was on Twitter or FB, I think the guy went into hiding for his own safety, it was really really nasty.

 

 

Troll bickering posts and replies removed

How low can some people go? No words enough to describe them.. ????

People who would try to drag a hero down (this one from a world war and a domestic crisis), with such garbage are normally made by people who have never done anything worthwhile in their lives, probably never will, and so have to stoop to belittling others incredible achievements.

 Sort of people you wouldn't want to wee on if they were on fire.

Some will take umbrage at this but I personally think the word 'hero' is overly and incorrectly used in this day and age.

 

Capt Tom, as did many others, did his job during the war and we are grateful for what he did. Was it 'heroic' I would suggest not- many others went above and beyond and do not regard themselves as 'heroes' as I expect he would have agreed.

 

Capt Tom was a rare example of what is missing in a lot of people today- a decent bloke who did the right thing at the right time- be it either during the war or setting an example to others by his magnificent achievements last year. I personally see him more as a 'role-model' than a 'hero'.

 

Anyone who denigrates his achievements should hang their head in shame.

As a Brit, and a member of the human race, I have one thing to say to Captain Tom

 

THANK YOU

A nasty troll post and replies reported and removed.  

 

The anonymity the Internet provides allows people to reveal their true nature while hiding their true identity, some will attack decency and/or values others hold dear.

 

We’ve seen it often enough, in this case a man most regard a hero, but in most cases ordinary people who don’t have family members preventing them being aware of the abuse.

 

Online abuse is a crime under UK law, let’s hope police reports are filed and for the good of everyone they are punished to the full extent of the law, at the very least, named and shamed.

 

Let’s get back to understanding words have consequences and free speech comes with responsibility.

14 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

While he received tens of thousands of supportive messages there were some that mocked and abused him.

There will always be some who do not like it ... mostly the kind of people who do nothing , but complaining . Just ignore them is the best thing to do .

16 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

there were some that mocked and abused him.

sometimes it's hard not to believe some of us, human beings, are idiots!

17 hours ago, Golden Triangle said:

I think the guy went into hiding for his own safety, it was really really nasty

 Looks as if he may still be in hiding - from STV news (17 February) and please note "was not present"!

 

A man has denied sending an offensive tweet about Captain Sir Tom Moore after the death of the fundraising centenarian.

Joseph Kelly was charged under the Communications Act after the post on February 3 – the day after the war veteran died.

The 35-year-old, from Castlemilk in Glasgow, was not present when the case called at Lanark Sheriff Court on Wednesday and a not guilty plea was submitted by lawyer Archie Hill on his behalf.

18 hours ago, 2530Ubon said:

This chap used to ride his motorbike, guns blazing in front of tanks when fighting Japanese soldiers in India during the 2nd world war

Perhaps the online abusers were Japanese.

 

https://thewaltercumpershunterclub.wordpress.com/2021/02/04/joseph-kelly-from-rutherglen-south-lanarkshire-glasgow-hate-crime-towards-a-national-treasure-who-raised-millions-to-help-the-nhs/

14 minutes ago, donnacha said:

Perhaps the online abusers were Japanese.

 

 

See Burma Bill's post below. At least one person was from Scotland.

 

25 minutes ago, Burma Bill said:

 Looks as if he may still be in hiding - from STV news (17 February) and please note "was not present"!

 

A man has denied sending an offensive tweet about Captain Sir Tom Moore after the death of the fundraising centenarian.

Joseph Kelly was charged under the Communications Act after the post on February 3 – the day after the war veteran died.

The 35-year-old, from Castlemilk in Glasgow, was not present when the case called at Lanark Sheriff Court on Wednesday and a not guilty plea was submitted by lawyer Archie Hill on his behalf.

 

16 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

https://thewaltercumpershunterclub.wordpress.com/2021/02/04/joseph-kelly-from-rutherglen-south-lanarkshire-glasgow-hate-crime-towards-a-national-treasure-who-raised-millions-to-help-the-nhs/

 

Thank you for that link.

 

What vile  nasty person he is.

Perhaps the Scottish anti-free speech laws are not useful for extraditing abusers who happen to be in Japan.

I'll grant you, Joseph Kelly doesn't look very Japanese.

 

2 hours ago, Burma Bill said:

 Looks as if he may still be in hiding - from STV news (17 February) and please note "was not present"!

 

A man has denied sending an offensive tweet about Captain Sir Tom Moore after the death of the fundraising centenarian.

Joseph Kelly was charged under the Communications Act after the post on February 3 – the day after the war veteran died.

The 35-year-old, from Castlemilk in Glasgow, was not present when the case called at Lanark Sheriff Court on Wednesday and a not guilty plea was submitted by lawyer Archie Hill on his behalf.

Thanks BB, I hope the scumbag gets locked up for a long time.

 

Thanks to lopburi3 for your link also. 

5 hours ago, Pique Dard said:

sometimes it's hard not to believe some of us, human beings, are idiots!

It’s worth reading up on the psychology of internet trolls, it’s not so much idiocy as a mixture of mental health and personality disorders.

 

 

 

 

On 2/17/2021 at 11:47 AM, Rimmer said:

Troll bickering posts and replies removed

 

11 hours ago, Scott said:

A nasty troll post and replies reported and removed.  

 

 

It seems some of these low lives inhabit this forum, too.