This Internet Hero Found The Perfect Way To Destroy A Confederate Pride Group On Facebook
Attn: anyone keen on trolling Reclaim Australia.
With the US facing opposition against renewed calls to take down the Confederate flag, and Australia facing off against neo-Nazis and bogans dressed as Roman soldiers trying to “reclaim” it, racist fringe groups have been a bit of theme in recent weeks. But with this attention, there’s also been a huge influx of excellent people going up against them — and, instead of direct action that often results in unnecessary violence, the best responses have used humour to undercut the groups’ attempts at authority.
At home, some Melbourne comedians have been working on a Facebook group called True Australian Patriots devoted to parodying Reclaim Australia and confusing its supporters. Overseas, people have started to follow hate groups playing sousaphones — it started with this legend tailing a KKK rally in South Carolina, and was continued by Adam Hills following the UK’s conservative health secretary on The Last Leg.
Now, Brooklyn writer and general internet legend Virgil Texas has found a new way to mess with people:
a racist facebook group left their header unlocked pic.twitter.com/sWe71tWb7n
— Virgil Texas (@virgiltexas) July 28, 2015
After discovering he could change the cover photos of a Confederate pride group he had joined on Facebook, he soon decided to take the situation to its full potential and swiftly move up their ranks. Using the “trolls” — presumably just him — as an impetus for change, he set up fake accounts and somehow convinced the admins to give him power over the page.
Good morning. I have convinced the racist Facebook group to make me an admin to clean out all the troll’s. What should I do with my powers? — Virgil Texas (@virgiltexas) July 29, 2015
The Confederate Pride group is going in a new direction thanks to my visionary administration. pic.twitter.com/cT6TyCoLSq — Virgil Texas (@virgiltexas) July 29, 2015
For some reason, the page’s original members didn’t take kindly to the changes.
I wish all our members could handle change like Dane here. pic.twitter.com/58DOmzB5Yi — Virgil Texas (@virgiltexas) July 29, 2015
Well put, Randall. pic.twitter.com/mp0wuyRRaU — Virgil Texas (@virgiltexas) July 29, 2015
But the changes just kept coming:
By now the group has gone from Chris Dorner Memorial Page to General Sherman: Wonderful General to Islam is the Light pic.twitter.com/rRwEt0Ga1y — Virgil Texas (@virgiltexas) July 29, 2015
Somebody also changed the Facebook URL to /groups/JewsForObamaAndHillary/, which can’t be changed back for at least 6 months. — Virgil Texas (@virgiltexas) July 29, 2015
And coming and coming and coming:
pic.twitter.com/6aA0HTYDe8 — Virgil Texas (@virgiltexas) July 29, 2015
pic.twitter.com/26XaNFFB3z — Virgil Texas (@virgiltexas) July 29, 2015
Eventually, his rule was cut short as the group’s actual admins caught on to what was happening, but at that point the damage was done — he’d already handed control to 50 other friends as insurance and gathered a huge following on Twitter.
The admin has finally regained control. They still however cannot figure out how to lock the banner image. pic.twitter.com/jPfltlMxa2 — Virgil Texas (@virgiltexas) July 29, 2015
As everyone else went hard to continue his great legacy, the page’s original supporters started to get pretty pissed and take off. It only took a matter of hours for the whole thing to flop.
The confederate flag group has lost over two thousand members lmao pic.twitter.com/m5VmN6K8zs
— Vegas Allende 81 (@BrooklynJuggler) July 30, 2015
Damn 227 pic.twitter.com/pZgrtNxezv — Vegas Allende 81 (@BrooklynJuggler) July 30, 2015
The group is gone — Vegas Allende 81 (@BrooklynJuggler) July 30, 2015
God bless the internet.