Riccardo Simonetti defends himself against death threats
Riccardo Simonetti, among others, knows that life as a queer influencer is not always "all sunshine. However, after he appeared on Fernsehgarten on ZDF, he is now even receiving death threats.
He is already familiar with hate on the web. However, current events seem to clearly overshadow the (negative) experiences he has had so far.
On Instagram, he talks about how the messages he has received since the weekend have been very "cruel."
Although the shock is visibly deep, Simonetti does not want to take on the role of victim. He is fighting back. Among other things, he not only wants to clarify the situation, but also to report anyone who has sent the messages to the police.
What were the haters bothered about?
A glance at the www is usually enough to see that Riccardo Simonetti is quite polarizing. But he doesn't seem to have a fundamental problem with this. As an LGBTQ representative, he stands up against discrimination and for equal rights.
With the latest news, however, a line was once again crossed. The corresponding contents had been all homophobic and were a "poverty testimony, with which one must live as a made-up man also today. ".
However, the influencer - who is popular with his fans - seems to be well aware that it would certainly be wrong to react to the hate messages with pure ignorance. Therefore, he wants to report the senders of the messages in question to underline that the Internet is NOT a kind of "lawless space".
It is possible, however, that the haters were not only bothered by Simoetti's appearance, but also by his success and his presence on television. After all, he is now not only a guest on many different quiz shows, but is also increasingly demonstrating his skills as a presenter. Either way, the fact that he is fighting back might surprise one or the other. After all, few senders of hate mail expect to be met with a corresponding response - especially if it entails legal consequences.
Who is Riccardo Simonetti?
Riccardo Simonetti's career started on the Internet. Back then, when he was not yet on TV, he kept his fans up to date with his own blog. As his fame grew, he also increasingly campaigned for the rights of queers in a wide variety of areas and is now even a special ambassador for the EU Parliament.
However, the influencer has had to learn several times in recent months that success can also bring hate. However, since he is comparatively open with the content of the hate messages, he should also encourage many other people who find themselves in a similar situation.
What role does hate on the net play against queers?
Not only many queers are repeatedly exposed to bullying attacks and the like on the Internet. There are also many straight people who, with the triumph of social networks, have found that "fame" and "hate" are often close to each other. This makes it all the more important to find the right places to turn for help in an emergency.
Many networks offer a kind of "reporting function" here, via which the corresponding users can be blocked. However, this does not mean that the operators of the respective accounts would not come into contact with the often cruel messages.
The safest thing to do here is to save the messages as evidence and turn to help centers. As Riccardo Simonetti has shown, reporting to the police - especially in the case of explicit death threats - can also be an alternative to free yourself from the role of victim and defend yourself against hate on the Internet.
The figures obtained in surveys are frightening. In 2020 - according to statista.com - more than 17 percent of the eight to 21-year-olds surveyed said they had already been the victim of bullying on the Internet. (By comparison, the figure increased - compared to the results of the same survey in 2017 - by more than 35 percent).
Today the Pride Award 2021 takes place.