Singer Lily Allen has been targeted by trolls in a spat about discrimination.
The star used her Twitter account to try to highlight the prejudice shown towards immigrants and Muslims by posting a series of tweets replacing the word “immigrants” or “Muslims” with “pensioners”.
In the heated debate about older voters and Brexit, she tried to make her point.
.@johndubskierx I don't hate all pensioners just the extremists.Can't you see this country is being taken over by hate extremist pensioners.
— Lily (@lilyallen) February 25, 2017
.@johndubskierx can't even get an appt at the doctors because pensioners just skip the queue, and claim all benefits. It has to stop.
— Lily (@lilyallen) February 25, 2017
@johndubskierx it was a joke, I was using the language out of context, i.e. I took the word migrant and replaced it with pensioner.
— Lily (@lilyallen) February 25, 2017
The Smile singer had also tweeted a photo of a bus bearing the words “Pensioners could have to pay thousands in travel insurance post Brexit”.
Think of the all the bingo halls we can turn into grime palaces. pic.twitter.com/HLvyvr8Yu8
— Lily (@lilyallen) February 25, 2017
But other users of the social networking site began to argue with her about her views and started to fire insults at her, including taunting her over the death of her son who was stillborn in 2010.Trolls also doctored a poll that Lily had created on Twitter to make it appear to ask 15 to 35-year-olds whether they felt more marginalised by pensioners or Muslims.And in another hacked poll the same group were asked whether they thought Lily or Hitler had had a more negative effect on Europe over the last 100 years.
My poll was for 15-35 year olds. It was highjacked by middle aged angry white men with St George cross avatars (check out my timeline)
— Lily (@lilyallen) February 25, 2017
Lily later announced that she was taking a break from Twitter.
My timeline is full of the most disgusting, sexist, misogynistic, racist shit. Really, new levels. I'm no masochist so I'll be back x
— Lily (@lilyallen) February 25, 2017
Hi , I'm Dennis,I'll be looking after lily's twitter for a while.I can only communicate in gif form,and I'm going on a hate blocking spree.
— Lily (@lilyallen) February 25, 2017
The post was followed up with a series of GIFs including a virtual hug, and Dame Maggie Smith in her Professor McGonagall Harry Potter character giving a round of applause.
