Education

British Student Who Mocked ISIS On Facebook Probed For ‘Hate Crime’

Shutterstock/Marcos Mesa Sam Wordley

Ian Miles Cheong Contributor
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A law student in Britain’s Edinburgh University is currently under investigation by the college for committing a “hate crime” after he mocked ISIS on Facebook.

21-year-old Robbie Travers was accused of “putting minority students at risk and in a state of panic” following a complaint by a fellow student, Esme Allman, who accused him of “blatant islamaphobia” (sic) after she read his comment deriding the terrorist group on his Facebook account.

The Daily Mail reported today that Travers isn’t under criminal investigation by the police, but Edinburgh University launched a probe amid the claim that his actions constituted a “hate crime.”

Travers made fun of ISIS following the US Air Force bombing of one of their strongholds in Afghanistan this April.

“Excellent news that the US administration and Trump ordered an accurate strike on an IS network of tunnels in Afghanistan,” he wrote. “I’m glad we could bring these barbarians a step closer to collecting their 72 virgins.” Travers was mocking the belief that dying as martyrs would reward them with six dozen young virginal women in the afterlife, to do with as they please.

Second-year history student and former black and student activist Esme Allman took offense to his words, and accused him of breaching the school’s code of conduct with his comments. She claimed that he “put minority students at risk and in a state of panic” by making fun of the dead terrorists.

According to the Daily Mail, Allman describes herself online as a “feminist and womanist from inner-city London” who values “inclusivity as well as building and preserving safe spaces for us” through intersectional feminism.

In an interview with the Times, Travers disputed her claim, stating that Allman filed the complaint against him in retaliation after he pointed out that she allegedly referred to black men as “trash.” Travers was attempting to highlight the hypocrisy of the social justice warrior, who felt free to make racialized statements while depriving him of the right to express his opinions.

Following the probe, Travers showed no sign of backing down from his position and thanked his friends and supporters for helping him.

I propose a toast to the Western world. Unfashionable in today's climate of moral relativism, but the UK, USA, Israel…

Posted by Robbie Travers on Friday, September 18, 2015

Ian Miles Cheong is a journalist and outspoken media critic. You can reach him through social media at @stillgray on Twitter and on Facebook.