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This statement from the Hampstead Paedophile Hoax points out that the internet, as an unregulated experiment on humanity, may be causing harm and suggests that it may be necessary to consider a halt to its use. If animals were involved, ethical concerns would have prompted action long ago.

The underlying narrative is a familiar one: Accused is a film about a modern-day witch hunt, amplified by the power of the internet. It all starts in 2015, when a video is shared on social media featuring two young siblings, nine-year-old “Abigail” and eight-year-old “Joseph”. In the video, they allege that a group of parents from their school are coercing them and their classmates into performing sexual acts, and they provide disturbing details that are unsettling to hear from such young children. According to them, these incidents take place in a large nearby church and potentially involve satanic rituals, although they do not explicitly use this term.

After conducting an investigation, it was discovered that the video was filmed by Ella Draper, the mother of the children. She is currently in a custody battle with the children’s father and recently learned that there were concerns about her parenting at the school. She was also on vacation with her new boyfriend, Abraham Christie, who has a criminal record and is involved in conspiracy groups focused on the alleged existence of child-killing satanists who harvest organs. The police interviewed individuals at the school and searched both the church and school for evidence, but found nothing. The case was closed for the police, but the nightmare was just beginning for the parents and the mothers who were interviewed.

The video quickly gains widespread attention and attracts negative attention from various groups. Some conspiracy theorists use it to support their far-fetched beliefs, such as claims of child trafficking by social workers and organized satanic rituals within British society. The situation is exacerbated by anti-pedophile activists who become fixated on kidnapping the children to protect them from their parents. Trolls further incite conflict and aggression. As Draper releases another video in support of her children’s allegations, the children are taken away from her care. Upon recanting their accusations, audio evidence surfaces of Christie’s manipulation of the children, which later becomes compared to torture by a judge. For those who believe in the conspiracy, this is seen as proof of corruption within the social work and legal systems.

The situation took a turn for the worse when Draper hired Sabine McNeill as her legal advisor. McNeill initiated a campaign of harassment against the parents, leading to a nine-year jail sentence as a precedent. Among her actions, McNeill published a complete list of those allegedly involved in the abuse, including the real names and addresses of the children, details of the sexual acts committed against them, and whether or not they were willing participants or had to be drugged. Along with the already present death threats, abuse, and kidnapping plans, the parents began to receive direct emails from pedophiles asking to meet their children. Protests erupted at the school and leaflets were distributed around Hampstead.

The four mothers, whose words are portrayed by actors to protect their privacy, are key figures in the story. They are driven to take matters into their own hands when the police fail to properly intervene, advised only to disregard the online harassment. Similar to the women in the Netflix documentary Can I Tell You a Secret?, they meticulously gather evidence, identify culprits (the fake identity “Alice” joins online groups to gain information), connect the dots, pressure the police to reopen the case, and ultimately obtain convictions for McNeill and another activist. All of this while balancing jobs and family responsibilities, as the final captions mention.

The subject of this case encompasses various issues: the incompetence of our law enforcement, the risky delay in updating our laws to keep up with the rapidly changing world, the incomprehensible irrationality that some individuals possess, the unmistakable malevolence of others, and the bravery of those who stand against it. Above all, it brings attention to the importance of truth and the necessity of uncovering and holding onto facts. In a time where reality is increasingly questioned, Accused serves as a reminder to question: who benefits from this? Who gains from the disregard of facts and the destabilization of truth? And ultimately, where is the ability to disconnect from the internet?

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  The Channel 4 program “The Hampstead Paedophile Hoax” is being accused.

Source: theguardian.com