Martyn Hett’s brother abused by online trolls
BROTHER OF MAN KILLED AT ARENA TO GIVE TALK ABOUT EXTREMIST TROLLS
THE brother of Martyn Hett, one of the 22 murdered in the Manchester Arena attack, has been bombarded by Twitter trolls after speaking out against extremism.
Dan Hett said he has received an ‘enormous amount of abuse’ online and in real life from right-wing groups over his response to the atrocity. He called on Twitter and other tech firms to take more action to fix the problem of online abuse.
Martyn, a 29-year-old PR executive from Stockport, was among the crowd leaving an Ariana Grande concert when he was killed in the May 22 terror attack.
Stars from Coronation Street were among hundreds of mourners who attended his funeral. His brother Dan, 32, a BAFTA-award winning artist and creative technologist, is to go on a tour of dozens of schools around the country talking to children about ‘the real effects of extremism.’
Organisers of the prestigious TEDx conference confirmed Dan will be talking about extremism, media and technology when the event returns to Manchester in 2018.
He is the first speaker to be announced for the conference in February, which has already sold out a first release of 1,900 tickets. Speaking to the M.E.N, Dan said he felt compelled to take a stand against those who have tried to use the Arena attack to fuel intolerance.
He said: “I want to talk about the responsibility of normal people to speak out and not ignore what is going on. I am putting myself on the line but the downside is I am getting an enormous amount of trolling on Twitter. I am being swamped by farright extremism. Tech companies have got a lot of work to do to fix this problem, but it is fixable.”
He was the target of abuse after speaking out against plans by Tommy Robinson, founder of the English Defence League, to stage a book launch in Manchester.
“There is a pattern here to using [terror attacks] to stoke the immigration debate,” Dan added. “The Arena bomber grew up a few miles from us and his parents were immigrants. My mum is Turkish and also moved to this country. In many ways we are completely alike.
“The fact is these attacks are vanishingly rare. The real danger is the rhetoric that follows and the constant attempt to sway opinions about other cultures. By increasing rhetoric, you are doing what Isis wants. You are part of their plan.”
Dan, a father of two, believes that education is the key to affecting change and will be speaking in schools about extremism.
He has backed the M.E.N.’s #WeStandTogether campaign to put peace studies on the curriculum at all Greater Manchester schools.
He will also talk about the advantages and subsequent dangers of social media and technology at the TEDx conference.
Dan said the loss of his brother made it even more important for him to make a stand.
He said: “One of the most intense experiences was when they allowed the families to go into the Arena. It was silent and every wall and the ceiling was covered in marks from the shrapnel.
“There were two concentric circles of roses, one rose where each of the 22 people was standing. I went to the centre and pressed my hand to the ground. I could see where all the victims were, including Martyn.
“He was just six or seven feet away and seeing the physicality of it was the most unfathomably intense experience. I just can’t put into words the intensity of it. It was quite difficult to see and it will be quite difficult for people to listen to as well.”
TEDx Manchester 2018 will be held on February 11 at the Bridgewater Hall.