14 DAY TRIAL // Twitter is well known for its inability to cope with online abuse, and despite its constant attempts to turn the social platform into a safer place for its users, it has failed miserably every time.
Many people have made the decision to quit Twitter because of a recurring issue: hateful comments.
The Guardian reported that one of UK’s youngest food writers has also expressed her desire to leave the microblogging site for good after dealing with “vitriolic” comments coming from a user claiming to be a representative from the UK Independence party.
The homophobic abuse started shortly after, having converted to the Green party, she decided to write an article praising the Green leader Natalie Bennett and expressing her disapproval for Ukip leader Nigel Farage’s actions, deeming them a “circus act.”
Mother of one, Jack Monroe had come out as gay back in 2014, and this was another reason for the perpetrator to commence its homophobic slur.
The account was thought to belong to Alex Wood, a former UKIP election candidate.
In response to his insults and harmful comments, the writer responded in indignation, "God, it's men like this that make me wish I wasn't a lesbian. Be still my beating heart for the charm and intellect."
Jack Monroe said goodbye to the social platform once and for all
Although having received a lot of support from her followers, as many jumped to her defense, she decided to quit Twitter but not before leaving a goodbye message explaining the reason behind her decision.
She stated that Twitter is “not a safe place to be” and that she was unwilling to feed the troll by further responding to his hateful comments.
In response to this controversy, a spokesman for the party felt the need to address the issue declaring that the account was, in fact, fake and that they strongly disagreed with the “uncalled-for Twitter troll that is masquerading as Alex Wood.”
Their declarations proved to be true, as the police have been able to apprehend the man posing as the former Ukip candidate.
The Independent reports that the man’s real name is Joshua Bonehill and that in a post on his personal website he declared the following: “In regards to the Tweets sent to Jack Monroe, I have seen them and believe them to be of a comical nature and commend the level of free speech used.”
He denies the allegations brought forward by the authorities, and although he has been released from custody, he remains under watch until the police manage to get to the bottom of this.
God it's men like this that make me wish I wasn't a lesbian. Be still my beating heart for the charm and intellect. pic.twitter.com/yjIKeHXArw
— Jack Monroe (@MsJackMonroe) April 17, 2015