RTE Drivetime engaged in some shameful clickbait trolling on Twitter last night to try and get a few more listeners. While they have congratulated posh schools for engaging in token sleep outs they decided to directly attack the occupation of Apollo house and its bringing into use as an emergency shelter for homeless people.
RTE Drivetime engaged in some shameful clickbait trolling on Twitter last night to try and get a few more listeners. While they have congratulated posh schools for engaging in token sleep outs they decided to directly attack the occupation of Apollo house and its bringing into use as an emergency shelter for homeless people.
And boy did it fall on its face. Normally far far more people will like a Tweet than reply to it. In this case though 201 people have posted angry replies and only 19 liked it. A far stronger message though had already been sent out when the occupiers Home Sweet Home Eire page attracted over 27,000 followers in 6 days and over 1500 people have actually volunteered to help keep the shelter open. Likewise so many donations of materials were received that within a couple of days out had to be announced that there was no room for more.
Of course nothing better is to expected from regime radio. It has always confined its favourable reporting to a very narrow spectrum of opinion judged respectable. Anyone who dares to step out of that spectrum quickly becomes the target of hostile coverage and scorn. The Apollo house occupation, the latest in a series of similar actions all of which have so far been shut down by legal threats and force, implicitly suggests that ownership deeds should not be placed above human need. And that RTE can’t tolerate.
WORDS: Andrew Flood (Follow Andrew on Twitter)