It’s depressing to see how well propaganda works😫 People on X and now out in the real world GENUINELY believe that this is all because of Muslims🤦🏼♀️ There hasn’t been a single case anywhere of Muslims in this country trying to ban dogs or trying to limit what anyone does with their dog Yet… 🧵 1/14
@camdencouncil.bsky.social post on Twitter had 1700+ comments angry with Muslims this morning. They had to delete it! I suspect their consultation will likely be hijacked with insane comments about Muslims too. I feel for the poor people who will have to compile and report on the replies😵💫 2/
What is the consultation about? They had a Public Space Protection Order to address irresponsible dog ownership from 2017 to 2020 (it expired after 3 years) They began another in 2023 which expires in March. So they’re asking residents if they want it extended for another 3 years 3/
What does it cover? 💩Not picking up your dog’s poo 🦮Not putting your dog on a lead when asked to do so by an authorised officer 🦮Not keeping your dog on a lead on public and Council housing land 🦮Not keeping your dog on a lead in Hampstead Cemetery 4/
And then there are some specific places where dogs are not allowed to go: Children's play areas Sport’s areas Nature conservation areas Flower beds and planted beds Outdoor Gyms Water features Picnic and community food growing areas 5/
Not having dogs in children’s playgrounds is just sensible Unknown Dogs and small children can be dangerous (No, not all dogs - but you need to keep all dogs out to protect them) Not having dogs on sports pitches is just sensible No one wants to be running through 💩 when playing sport! 6/
There are also 4 specific parks which are dog free: Camden Square Gardens (North) Chalcot Square Gardens (all) Primrose Gardens (North) Fortune Green picnic area For instance, Camden Square gardens is largely dog free, with a fenced off dog walking area. 7/
And no, none of this is because of Muslims🙄 I live in an area that is less than 0.2% Muslim according to the 2021 census and my local playground and sports fields are dog free… Half of the beaches on the south coast are dog free - even more in the Summer 8/ Believe it or not, there are plenty of people who, if given a choice, prefer not to be around dogs. People of ALL ages, races, ethnicities and religions! 😜 9/ But as I said at the start - this propaganda has absolutely worked. People have been convinced by the constant drip, drip of insinuations (not to mention outright campaigns of lies) that any mention of dogs being limited or kept on leads is somehow down to Muslims🤷🏼♀️ 10/ bsky.app
In July 2016 - two years later - Manchester Evening News reported on leaflets being delivered saying dogs are "impure" and should be "limited" in public spaces out of respect for Muslims Supposedly orchestrated by a Muslim campaign called “For Public Purity” 9/22
Ironically it is a perfect embodiment of Pavlov’s Dogs! They’ve been conditioned to shout MUSLIMS every time they see the word dog (See also Bacon🙄) 11/
Eg, a report that says some PEOPLE fear unleashed dogs, and quotes a Polish mum whose son is terrified following an attack leads to RW press reporting: “One recommendation suggests dogs should be kept under stricter control, citing fears of the animals among some COMMUNITIES” Which community?🤷🏼♀️ 12/
People struggle to define Islamophobia and the Right are campaigning hard for it not to be defined But this concerted campaign against Muslims by pretending they’re “coming for your pets” is absolutely in there The Far Right have been banging this drum for years now 13/ bsky.app
Are Muslims really banning dogs in parks? 🤔 Let’s look at this perfect example of how rage baiting works, and how disinformation spreads, sticks, and fuels division, even years after being debunked… 🧵1/22 (1/1)
And it’s working - especially on social media! Camden Council put out a consultation to extend laws on responsible dog ownership And boom - 1000’s of anti-Muslim comments🤷🏼♀️ It’s insane! 14/ I’ve written about this subject over on Substack a couple of times and covered it in an episode of Bear and Monk Debunk with @bearlypolitics.co.uk if you want to read or listen to more on this! Free to read and free to subscribe👇🏼 open.substack.com