"Name and shame"[a] was a 2000 anti-pedophile public shaming campaign that resulted in several lynch-mob and firebomb attacks in England and Scotland, most having been directed at people wrongfully alleged to be pedophiles or child sex offenders.[1][2][3][4]
| Name and shame | |
|---|---|
| Date | July 23–30, 2000* |
| Location | United Kingdom |
| Caused by | Murder of Sarah Payne, sensationalistic journalism |
| Resulted in |
|
| Casualties | |
| Arrested | 24+ |
| * Date of the last published issue; mob violence continued afterwards | |
The campaign was launched by then top-selling tabloid journal News of the World, owned by press magnate Rupert Murdoch and edited by Rebekah Brooks. The newspaper would publish sensationalistic articles about indiscriminate types of sex offenders, in which their identities and home addresses would be exposed. Name and shame was initially supported by deputy prime minister John Prescott and home secretary David Blunkett, although government authorities soon began to distance themselves. It was opposed by the liberal press, human rights groups and police agencies.[1][3][4]
Having published a total of two issues in seven days, name and shame was cancelled in August amid criticism from government bodies. Vigilante mob attacks and marches carried on after its termination.[5][2][6] Most of the anti-pedophile protestors were women and children. The campaign unsuccessfully called for laws allowing public access to sex offender registries in the country, which subsequently remained mostly restricted.[7]
History
edit
Following the abduction and killing of Sarah Payne in July 2000, News of the World began campaigning for laws that publicly disclosed personal details of people convicted of sex offenses. After the government stated that it had no plans to implement such laws, the newspaper, edited by Rebekah Brooks, began publishing names of sex offenders itself in name and shame on July 23, 2000.[8][6]
After the first issue was published, several lynch mobs and protestors gathered in several parts of the United Kingdom. A group of mothers from Hampshire organized nightly marches and held "vigils" near homes of people convicted of sex offenders. In Paulsgrove, a life-size doll was hanged while protestors chanted "we'll lynch the pervs". A Greater Manchester man had his home surrounded by a mob of 300 people, who shouted "pedophile, rapist, beast, pervert" at him and dragged a six-year-old child to his door while asking "do you want this one?". The Guardian reported some instances of people who had died by suicide after being targeted by such mobs. During those gatherings, several participants told newspapers that they would lynch suspected sex offenders if given the opportunity.[4]
Another riot involving about 150 broke out in Plymouth, in which protestors attacked the police and destroyed property while carrying News of the World headlines.[2] The riot lasted for three hours and resulted in one police officer being sent to the hospital, another having a brick hit his face, and a car being set on fire.[9] In Portsmouth, 24 people were arrested during violent protests.[10]
The second and final issue of name and shame was published on July 30, 2000. Mob attacks continued to occur until at least November. Although the campaign promised to publish personal details of 100,000 people, it only had published 81 names before being cancelled in August. The major campaign was Brooks' first as editor of News of the World.[8][6][2][5]
Victims
edit- A pediatrician from Gwent had her home vandalized after vigilantes took her job title for the word "pedophile;[7][1][3][11]
- A retired sea captain was murdered by two vigilantes, who firebombed his home after he was wrongfully accused of being a sex offender. Both perpetrators were jailed for life;[3]
- A Glasgow man was beaten to death by vigilantes vigilantes who accused him of sex crimes;[3]
- A group of sixty people threw paint at the house of, and verbally attacked, a Plymouth man who was wrongfully accused of child sex crimes;[4]
- Two people suspected of sex crimes died by suicide amid civil unrest related to name and shame;[6]
- A 66-year-old Guildford man had his neighbors receive letters falsely accusing him of sexual crimes. He was then provided with overnight protection by police, who distributed leaftlets stating his innocence;[9]
- A 78-year-old Croydon man had his home address distributed to about 300 households near his home in leaflets that wrongfully accused him of sex crimes;[12]
- A 55-year-old man had leaflets wrongfully accusing him of sex crimes distributed to about 500 households near his home;[12]
- Several families from Portsmouth fled their homes due to violent protests in the area that lasted for five days. They were offered rehousing by the Portsmouth City Council;[13]
Notes
edit- ^ Usually written in lowercase and between quotes.
References
edit- ^ a b c Lister, David (2002). "Newspaper campaign led to series of attacks on innocent people". The Independent.
- ^ a b c d Hoge, Warren (2000). "Britain Fights Tide of Anti-Pedophile Attacks". The New York Times.
- ^ a b c d e Scott, Niall, ed. (2007). "Depraved Paedos and Other Beasts: The Media Portrayal of Child Sexual Abusers in Ireland and the UK". Monsters and the monstrous: myths and metaphors of enduring evil. At the interfaces, probing the boundaries. Amsterdam ; New York, NY: Rodopi. ISBN 978-90-420-2253-9. OCLC 176055573.
- ^ a b c d Bell, Vikki (2002). "The vigilant(e) parent and the paedophile: The News of the World campaign 2000 and the contemporary governmentality of child sexual abuse". Feminist Theory. 3 (1): 83–102. doi:10.1177/1460012002003001068. ISSN 1464-7001.
- ^ a b "Vigilantes riot over pedophiles in England". CBC News. November 2000.
- ^ a b c d Harrison, Karen, ed. (2010). "Media constructions of, and reactions to, paedophilia in society". Managing high-risk sex offenders in the community: risk management, treatment and social responsibility (1. publ ed.). Cullompton: Willan. ISBN 978-1-84392-525-5.
- ^ a b "The campaign for 'Sarah's Law'". 2007-04-10. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
- ^ a b Robinson, James (2011-07-28). "Sara Payne: the people at News of the World became my trusted friends". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
- ^ a b Staff (2000-08-04). "News of the World suspends name-and-shame campaign". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-09-06.
- ^ Staff (2000-08-14). "Protesters hand over 'paedophile list'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-09-06.
- ^ Gazette, Press (2012-05-11). "A tale told too much - the paediatrician vigilantes". Press Gazette. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
- ^ a b Staff (2000-08-04). "Stop 'name and shame' says minister". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-09-06.
- ^ "BBC News | UK | Families flee paedophile protests". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-09-06.