A pub barman claims he was hounded out of his job by cruel online bullies who repeatedly ordered takeaways to his workplace and threatened him with acid - all because he's a gay Irish traveller. James Lawrence was enjoying his job as a barman until trolls got wind of where he worked via TikTok and started making multiple takeaway orders in his name.
Over a three-week period last month, the 24-year-old was forced to turn away delivery drivers who turned up at the pub expecting payment. And his social media was soon flooded with hateful comments from trolls threatening to throw acid in his face and ordering him to kill himself.
Concerned his tormentors would turn up at his work, James handed in his notice and took a break from his TikTok account - which he had started in a bid to educate people about his experiences as a gay Irish traveller. James is now calling on TikTok to do more to stop trolls and is now pushing for photo verification to be required on all profiles so trolls can't lurk anonymously on the platform.
James, from Bristol, said: "I was working in a pub for two months. Trolls on TikTok found out where it was, they're honestly like investigators. My partner was live on TikTok three weeks ago, and a customer said the place's name in the background. Troll accounts picked up on it from that.
"One night a pizza arrived, but because it was so busy we didn't think it was due to trolls. There were so many people at the bar, it could have been one of them. Then on another night, a pizza comes through the door for somebody called James. I was outside on my break and my manager came out to ask if I'd ordered a pizza.
"I said 'no', so my manager went around to see if anybody had ordered a pizza. I spoke to the delivery guy and I asked to look at the ticket. It said my name on it and I almost had a heart attack. I just thought 'oh my god, this is getting so close to home now'.
"I felt like I was sh*tting myself, I was just thinking 'what if somebody turns up to where I work and does something?'. Then, on that same shift, the pub received a call from a fish and chip shop asking if we'd made an order. Thankfully they asked before they made it and sent it out.
"It's just sad, because it's not just affecting my job - it's affecting the business owners and affecting the delivery drivers. It's just disgusting. I just don't understand why people would go to such lengths.
"I didn't get sacked from work. My management was absolutely lovely, but I just thought it was best for me to step away from it because of the trolling. My manager said I'd be allowed to come back but I wouldn't be allowed to make any videos there [as] it's a safety issue."
James believes he's being targeted because of his heritage and sexuality - things that have attracted vitirolic abuse for a long time.
James said: "Ever since I started on TikTok I've had a lot of horrible trolls. Since I'm a gay Irish traveller, I've had lots of comments saying I should kill myself and that people were going to throw acid into my face.
"There was a point where I was getting targeted daily, it must be the same person making new accounts constantly. I feel like a lot of people on the app can't deal with the intersectionality of a gay traveller."
Ever since stepping down from his job, James has been considering his future on TikTok - where he has more than 89,000 followers.
James said: "You can't win with the trolls. They'd say loads of stuff about me not having a job, then they'd go to these extremes to push me out of my job. It's making me consider coming off TikTok. I started my TikTok to educate people about travellers and raise awareness about the discrimination and racism that travellers face.
"Through being a gay traveller, I got asked a lot of questions about that. My TikTok grew from there and I got a following, but I also gained trolls too.
"I'm still trying to do bar work. I just need to figure out if I'll give up TikTok to go back to work. It's all very fresh at the minute. I don't want to let the trolls win by giving up something that I enjoy, because I do like being on TikTok. I enjoy the support, I enjoy answering questions and I enjoy educating people, but it can also have an awful effect on my mental health."
A TikTok spokesman said: "TikTok is a diverse and inclusive community where there's no place for hate or discrimination. Our Community Guidelines make it clear we do not permit content that contains hate speech."
