Unveiling Answers: Frequently Asked Questions (25.02.24)

Q1: Have you ever engaged in a phone conversation with Jason Richard Cridland? 

I have never had a phone conversation with either Jason Richard Cridland or Deborah Anne Cridland.

Q2: Have you ever met Jason Cridland in person? 

To the best of my knowledge, no, I haven’t come across them in public. However, if I did, they have never revealed their identity to me. However, given their role in permitting the publication of eight defamatory and rather peculiar articles on their website (dorseteye.com), along with their direct or indirect involvement in various libellous social media posts, it’s clear they prefer to operate behind the scenes.

It’s important to mention that as of today (25.02.24), Mr Cridland has been compelled to take down the eight defamatory articles, along with other libellous content. Furthermore, two web hosts have collaborated; they even suspended his website for two days after considering my complaints, which were substantiated by legislation and a solid array of evidence. It appears that the Cridlands prefer to hide in the virtual realm rather than confront real-world interactions, demonstrating a clear aversion to the truth.

Q3: Describe any interactions you’ve had with Jason Cridland. 

Our only interaction took place on Facebook Messenger to arrange an interview for Monday, 21 July 2023, which he initiated. However, he later cancelled without offering any explanation. Click here to view the conversation.

Q4: How long were you actively involved in campaigning for ‘No To The Barge’, and what were the specific dates of your involvement?

I received an invitation to serve as an admin, alongside Steve Coggins, from Amy Sharpe, the creator of the Facebook group initially known as ‘Portland Immigration Barge Discussions (Barge Bitchin)’, around eleven o’clock in the evening on the twenty-sixth of May (26.04.23). My time as admin concluded with my official announcement of my departure on the twenty-fourth of August 2023 (24.08.23), marking a total involvement of approximately four months.

Prior to receiving the invitation, I had no earlier interaction with Amy Sharpe, and we hadn’t discussed my role as an admin of the group. Even after the invitation, our digital exchanges remained intermittent, with months passing between messages. As of now, we still haven’t had the opportunity to meet face-to-face. Notably, she did not attend any of the NTTB events that I organised, as far as I am aware. It’s crucial to underscore that while I took on leadership in the physical campaign, particularly within what eventually evolved into ‘No To The Barge,’ my leadership didn’t fully extend to the digital realm, especially concerning the Facebook group, which I did not create.

Q5: Can you explain the dynamics of the Facebook group, particularly regarding control and jurisdiction over the posts, especially considering Amy Sharpe’s significant role? 

On 26th May, 2023, Amy Sharpe, the creator of the group, extended an invitation for me to join as an admin. However, her involvement in the group was limited, mainly restricted to sporadic removal of spam posts. Initially, I adopted a policy of unrestricted free speech within the Facebook group. Regrettably, this approach was quickly exploited by individuals with extreme ideological viewpoints. As a result, I instituted rules and began moderating content to maintain order. While these rules remain unchanged to this day, they are not actively enforced. However, individuals like Kate Robson and Susan Phoenix have shown little interest in effective moderation, as demonstrated by the recent harassment of an anonymous poster on 22nd February, 2024, by Julie Croley. Their actions actively hindered the progress I sought to achieve, leading to significant frustration.

Click here to examine the evidence.

Q6: During your involvement, did you ever consider yourself the leader of NTTB? 

Indeed, while I took charge of leading the campaign in the real world, managing its digital counterpart felt like a constant struggle. There was a persistent undermining of my efforts and an ongoing battle against those attempting to guide the group in a darker direction, evident in its current focus on migration only. NTTB is synonymous with my branding and campaign, and I played a central role in organising and participating in nearly all press interviews. However, those endeavours came to an end after my departure, as others desired ownership and fame without being willing to put in the necessary effort that comes with the second.

However, I wasn’t the one who initiated the creation of the Facebook group; that was Amy Sharpe’s initiative. Since her departure, the group is now overseen by anonymous profiles, which I strongly suspect to be Kate Robson, Steve Coggins and Susan Phoenix, among others.

After my departure, the physical campaign fizzled out, leaving behind a mere shadow of its former self. With the loss of over 1,000 members, it is clear that what remains needs to be laid to rest. Unfortunately, they seem to have completely lost sight of the group’s original purpose, which was anti-barge, rather than morphing it into a group fixated on the national problem of immigration, neglecting the local concerns it was meant to address.

Q7: What was your primary objective with the campaign? 

The core aim of the campaign was clearly conveyed in its name, ‘No To The Barge.’ It emphasised opposition to the barge itself, not to asylum seekers, a distinction I repeatedly stated in numerous interviews and literature. My goal with my NTTB was to advocate for and stand up for the residents of Portland, Weymouth, and South Dorset, addressing and dealing with the challenges arising from the introduction of the accommodation barge, Bibby Stockholm. This entailed actively opposing and campaigning to minimise the barge’s presence, acknowledging that its imposition was carried out clandestinely and without the community’s consent.

Q8: Was your objective primarily anti-barge or anti-refugee?

In numerous interviews, I have emphasised that this was never about asylum seekers. Even upon their arrival, I made a deliberate choice to conduct interviews from a distance up the hill, allowing local people to voice their grievances, as my focus was squarely on opposing the barge making me anti-barge. For me, the campaign was about standing against the location and plan that the people of our area were never consulted about—a stance that has been vindicated over the past eight months. My battle was primarily against the Home Office and Dorset Council, along with other entities that imposed this decision on our community. It was all about saying ‘No To The Barge.’ Otherwise, I would have named it ‘No To The Asylum Seekers’ or something equally nonsensical. Regrettably, Kate Robson and others have steered it in the direction of becoming an anti-migrant/anti-refugee group, laying bare their true intentions.

Q9: Do you consider yourself to be racist? 

Categorically, no.

Q10: Why did you conduct an interview with Voice of Wales?

I arranged and took part in numerous interviews involving a diverse range of individuals and media outlets, each offering a unique perspective and set of opinions. This approach was crucial in avoiding the pitfalls of echo chambers and the polarisation often seen in today’s discourse. Regardless of the audience, my message remained consistent. However, I must acknowledge an error in counting the number of general practitioners on Portland, which appeared to disproportionately upset certain individuals with extreme views. This reaction highlights the danger of isolating oneself within an echo chamber, closed off to the diverse perspectives offered by the broader media landscape.

Q11: Prior to campaigning for NTTB, what knowledge did you possess about far-right and far-left extremists? 

With one of my degrees in politics, I’m keenly aware of the ideological extremes present on both ends of the political spectrum. Interestingly, when juxtaposed, these extremes often exhibit striking similarities and resort to tactics such as violence, harassment, intimidation, defamation, outright lying and reputation destruction to maintain control over the narrative. My experience as a real-world leader of NTTB exposed me to attacks from both far-left ideologues online and far-right individuals in the physical world, primarily due to my moderate stance and rational approach to problem-solving around the barge. I find the injection of race-based politics by either side to be particularly distasteful, along with the tactics employed to scare and smear individuals who dare to speak out. Rest assured, I refuse to back down in the face of bullies, whether they operate online or in real life.

Q12: Having been away from the campaign for seven months, how has the ongoing hate campaign affected you, your family, and your friends?

The stress of worrying about my family’s safety has kept me up at night, especially when the trolls harassed me on Christmas morning, a time meant for celebration with family. My parents, especially my mum, have been deeply concerned, fearing potential attacks on our home by relentless groups and individuals like Elaine White, Kevin Davies, and Jason Cridland, along with others who bizarrely call themselves the “Portland Liberation Army.” Despite my hopes that things would settle down over time, their relentless fixation on me has compelled me to take legal and security precautions to safeguard my family.

Furthermore, I would like to inform you that I engaged in a discussion with Dorset Police on Saturday, 24th February, for over an hour, and they have commenced an investigation. It is crucial to clarify that no police have visited or interviewed me concerning any matters involving Jason Cridland and his family. Despite claims made by Mr Cridland and others since the beginning of the campaign, alleging their contact with Dorset Police or the existence of an ongoing investigation involving me, it is evident that we are dealing with delusional liars, who will stop at nothing to manipulate the truth and narrative.

Q13: Why do you believe the haters and trolls persist in harassing you? 

I strongly believe that both online far-left ideologues and far-right individuals in the physical world are driven by a hateful ideology rooted in disturbing race-based politics, showcasing a complete lack of rationality. Their goal is to silence any moderate voices that dare to question their narrative control. These minority groups pose a significant threat to our democracy, and their tactics of harassment, intimidation, stalking, and violence go against the core values of our British society and culture.

Q14: Why have you not explained the reasons for leaving “NTTB” until now? 

Interestingly, I believed I was safeguarding those whom I had invested countless hours in, teaching them how to construct both an online and offline campaign. I guided them in crafting a mission statement with a clear vision and objectives. I familiarised them with the intricacies of Facebook and coordinated mass media efforts, including organising interviews. I even cautioned them to disregard individuals like Jason Richard Cridland and others who engage in libellous behaviour, knowing the impact it could have on them and their mental health, and endeavoured to shield them from it.

Regrettably, despite what I thought was thorough preparation, as previously mentioned in my August 2023 statement, I failed to disclose that individuals like Kate Robson, among others, ultimately chose to betray my trust and metaphorically stab me in the back. I reached out to the absent creator of the group, Amy Sharpe, with this message. However, she suspended me, claiming the need to reassess the group’s direction, deeming it unfair to those who dedicated their time, effort, and money to building a solid campaign and raising awareness—despite my personal investment of well over £1k.

She expressed her lack of interest in allowing libellous comments that branded the page as racist and dismissed my ongoing disagreements with the other admins. However, as the creator, she held the authority to intervene at any point. Despite my repeated efforts to moderate, Kate Robson consistently undercuts my endeavours. Furthermore, she reinstated Darren Ozzy to the Facebook group after midnight—a member who had previously made threats of sexual violence against women associated with ‘Stand Up To Racism Dorset’. When I confronted Kate about this, she vehemently denied it, only retracting her statement when presented with the admin activity log. This incident highlighted a misalignment of values for me, and it was one of several instances where Kate allowed such content to undermine my digital leadership of the Facebook group.

Amy Sharpe suspended me for three days, which was likely her first significant action as the creator. She even suggested deleting the Facebook group—a decision I would now agree with, given its current direction. Since then, she has also removed herself from the group. Recognising a growing misalignment of values, particularly the shift towards focusing on national migrant issues over anti-barge concerns, I made the decision to leave voluntarily. Before departing, I handed over all the materials I created and paid for, only to face threats over “donation” money from someone I won’t name now. Initially, I chose to remain silent, believing it was the right course of action after making my statement. However, the relentless online harassment from the trolls persisted, prompting me to reclaim my voice only recently.

The efforts of the “new” anonymous admins to shift the focus away from the barge issue towards an anti-migrant stance are evident. It’s clear that they lacked genuine commitment to the campaign, especially after my departure. They only followed through with one of the planned protests, cancelling the rest. Despite providing them with all the campaign materials I designed and paid for, I ended up spending hundreds of pounds out of pocket, even after factoring in donations. They attempted to march on Portland gates, against my advice I had given them well before Aug 2023, following false claims from Bill Reeves, CEO of Portland Port. However, due to insufficient numbers, they remained near the Gateway Pillars, effectively marking the end of the ‘No To The Barge’ campaign that they stole away from the people of Portland and Weymouth and never even acknowledged my departure.

END