Scottish comedian bombarded by Rangers fans' anti-Qatar tweets
A group of Rangers fans of Twitter have bombarded a Scottish comedian with questions on whether she would protest a visit to the UK of Qatar Emir Tamim al-Thani.
2 min read
Janey Godley (second from right) was targeted by anti-Qatar tweets [Getty]
A Scottish comedian was bombarded with a flurry of anti-Qatar Twitter messages by Rangers football fans on Wednesday, on whether she would protest a visit to the UK by the leader of the Gulf state.
Janey Godley is a well-known supporter of Scottish independence and firm opponent of US President Donald Trump.
She was targeted by a bizarre social media campaign by Rangers fans - who are known for their staunch unionist, and generally, right-wing views - on Wednesday about the emir's UK visit.
A series of almost identical messages were sent from the profiles of alleged Rangers fans, some likely bots, about a visit to the UK by Qatar Emir Tamim al-Thani.
"Hi @JaneGodley are you gonna protest or are you aware of any protest planned for The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani," one tweet read according to The Scotsman.
A series of similar or identically-worded tweets were sent out from the profiles of other Rangers fans with Godley tagged.
Few could understand the motives of the fans, but the method is similar to another campaign targeting the emir's visit to Qatar this week.
Godley has been regularly targeted by Rangers fans on social media, despite supporting the Glasgow club as a child.
"I don't mind being trolled but I resent the threats and open calls to spit on me etc. I defend their freedom of speech if you stop them from calling me names, you stop me from calling Trump a c*** - so I don’t agree, but defend their freedom of speech," she told The Herald, adding that she did not view the tweets as "sinister".
On Monday, #OpposeQatarVisit trended on Twitter, with most of the tweets using the hashtag appearing to be from bots, according to an investigation by The New Arab.
An agency was also hired to recruit actors for an anti-Qatar protest in London during the visit by Emir Tamim.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE have led a media campaign against Qatar, since a blockade was launched on the Gulf emirate by a Riyadh-led coalition in June 2017.
Janey Godley is a well-known supporter of Scottish independence and firm opponent of US President Donald Trump.
She was targeted by a bizarre social media campaign by Rangers fans - who are known for their staunch unionist, and generally, right-wing views - on Wednesday about the emir's UK visit.
A series of almost identical messages were sent from the profiles of alleged Rangers fans, some likely bots, about a visit to the UK by Qatar Emir Tamim al-Thani.
"Hi @JaneGodley are you gonna protest or are you aware of any protest planned for The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani," one tweet read according to The Scotsman.
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A series of similar or identically-worded tweets were sent out from the profiles of other Rangers fans with Godley tagged.
Few could understand the motives of the fans, but the method is similar to another campaign targeting the emir's visit to Qatar this week.
Godley has been regularly targeted by Rangers fans on social media, despite supporting the Glasgow club as a child.
"I don't mind being trolled but I resent the threats and open calls to spit on me etc. I defend their freedom of speech if you stop them from calling me names, you stop me from calling Trump a c*** - so I don’t agree, but defend their freedom of speech," she told The Herald, adding that she did not view the tweets as "sinister".
On Monday, #OpposeQatarVisit trended on Twitter, with most of the tweets using the hashtag appearing to be from bots, according to an investigation by The New Arab.
An agency was also hired to recruit actors for an anti-Qatar protest in London during the visit by Emir Tamim.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE have led a media campaign against Qatar, since a blockade was launched on the Gulf emirate by a Riyadh-led coalition in June 2017.
Follow the Middle East's top stories in English at The New Arab on Google News
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