Facebook refuses to drop Moat page
By Rosie
@rosie230 (1703)
July 15, 2010 3:50am CST
So, after switching on the computer this morning, I came across this headline... so I read on to see what it was all about.
Well basically it seems that facebook, has set up a Tribute page for Raoul Moat, after he killed himself with a gun which he used to injure and kill other people with. He went on the rampage and killed his ex-girlfriends new boyfriend, he shot her and injured her, and also shot and injured a policeman.
It is said that this guy had mental problems, which was the probable cause of him shooting people like that.
Here is the link to the article... what are your views on this, do you agree with facebook, or do you think that they should remove this tribute page because what he did was evil and callous?
http://news.aol.co.uk/facebook-refuses-to-drop-moat-page/article/20100714231547206702436?icid=main|uk|dl1|link3|http://news.aol.co.uk/facebook-refuses-to-drop-moat-page/article/20100714231547206702436
1 person likes this
3 responses
@owlwings (43910)
• Cambridge, England
15 Jul 10
First, I think it's important to stress that it was NOT Facebook which set up the tribute page. Facebook merely provide the facility. Provided that they don't see such pages as against their Terms, Facebook do not see it as in their remit to interfere.
Personally, I believe that such a public page is liable to be offensive to the victims of this man and I am concerned that, according to the news report, 30,000 people have subscribed to it. Most of those cannot possibly have known Moat and to applaud him in any way can only be equivalent, for them, to applauding the anti-hero in a violent movie.
There is certainly room for compassion for this man, as there is for anyone who is clearly suffering from mental delusions, but I do not think that a Facebook 'tribute page' is an appropriate way of expressing it.
@jentyree (35)
• United States
16 Jul 10
I agree with owlwings --- facebook doesnt set up pages, people do.
And if the guy had asked for help before hand and didnt receive it, then maybe it can serve as a reminder to everyone, that if someone asks for mental help, they should receive it.
And again, it may be family who set up the page for the man.
@oldchem1 (8132)
•
15 Jul 10
it's looking as if there's more to this story than we first thought.
There has been something on the news about how Moat had contacted the Social Services at Newcastle Council asking to see a psychiatrist because he felt that he had a "problem".
A tape had him saying to Social Services in 2009 "I would like to have a psychiatrist, psychologist, have a word with me regularly, on a regular basis, to see if there's somewhere underlying like where I have problem that I haven't seen."
It seems that his family and friends are trying to get to the bottom of the story and why he wasn't helped.
When we first saw this story he seemed to be the villain, but this makes you wonder just how much was he a victim!!
@rosie230 (1703)
•
15 Jul 10
I agree.... after hearing of his shootings last week, i think we all hated him and felt it was only right that he killed himself, but after reading and listening to some of the things that have come to light today, I am in two minds as to how I feel about this whole situation... if he has asked for help, then he should have got it, and possibly this whole disaster could have been prevented. Maybe it couldn't have, but we will never really know the truth.
