Dozens are dead after Tuesday’s terrorist attack in Brussels, and in the aftermath we’re starting to see a familiar scenario play out.
ISIS has claimed responsibility, but civilians and politicians alike are once again blaming an entire religion for the attacks. Republican hopeful Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has called for police patrols in Muslim neighborhoods, and the hashtag #StopIslam trended worldwide. However, when one man tweeted about confronting a Muslim woman for it, the Internet instead dragged him online and made into a mockery.
Tweeting about his confrontation early Wednesday, Matthew P. Doyle asked her to explain Brussels. The tweet has since been deleted and archived, but he called her denial of having anything to do with Brussels “mealy mouthed,” which essentially means fudging the truth.
Matthew P. Doyle/Twitter
For some people, Doyle’s tweet didn’t just show an instance of harassment but rather something to mock. There was something about the flow and structure of his tweet that proved ripe for parodying. And that they did.
Soon enough, people were asking many nationalities to explain the things that are stereotypically associated with them—and that was just the start.
I confronted an Irish women yesterday in Camden. I asked her to explain Bono. She said "Nothing to do with me". A mealy mouthed reply.
— Rob Manuel 🍳 (@robmanuel) March 23, 2016
https://twitter.com/abbiewastaken/status/712578653763272704
Confronted a Muslim woman yesterday in Croydon. I asked her to explain Brussels. She said "they're like really small cabbages". Seems fair.
— 𝐃𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐀𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐆𝐮𝐚𝐧𝐨 (@agnes_guano) March 23, 2016
https://twitter.com/arthur_affect/status/712587321783156736
I confronted a dog today & asked him about that time when I was 4 and a dog bit me. “woof” he said. A mealy mouthed reply.
— TechnicallyRon (On all the platforms) (@TechnicallyRon) March 23, 2016
I confronted Shaggy yesterday in Croydon. Asked him to explain creeping with the girl next door. He said "wasn't me". A mealy mouthed reply.
— Zan phee (@zanPHEE) March 23, 2016
I confronted a Scottish man at breakfast today & asked him to explain porridge. "Nothing tae do wi' me" he said. An oatmeal-mouthed reply.
— Michael Moran (@TheMichaelMoran) March 23, 2016
One person brought up other instances of Doyle’s Islamophobic tweets.
https://twitter.com/HashashinTag/status/712601194334695424
After retweeting a few of the parody replies, Doyle responded to critics by claiming that he may have misused the word “confront,” and if he had confronted the woman he would’ve been charged. He also retweeted instances where even his own friends called him out for his post.
https://twitter.com/MatthewDoyle31/status/712604415207874561
https://twitter.com/MatthewDoyle31/status/712610465818550272
@Lina_Serene I am appalled my friend @MatthewDoyle31 wrote such a racist tweet that started this thread off. I have TOLD him, he is ignorant
— G. Murray-Dinsmore (@MsGenevieveMD) March 23, 2016
But soon enough, he went back to posting Islamophobic tweets.
https://twitter.com/MatthewDoyle31/status/712611803310788608
https://twitter.com/MatthewDoyle31/status/712614386372898816
https://twitter.com/MatthewDoyle31/status/712615148410773505
Doyle did not yet respond to our request for comment.
Update 4:05pm CT, March 25: Doyle has since been arrested and “charged under section 19 of the Public Order Act 1986; publishing or distributing written material which is threatening, abusive or insulting, likely or intended to stir up racial hatred,” according to the Metropolitan police.
Update 8:25am CT, March 26: The charges against Doyle have now been dropped.
#Croydon man no longer charged with Sec19 Public Order Act offence re social media comments https://t.co/k78zdyEs4o pic.twitter.com/LT9C7KJd5H
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) March 25, 2016
Photo via Matthew P Doyle/Twitter | Remix by Jason Reed