I filmed an incident like the MAGA standoff with Nathan Phillips – here’s why you should too

When a man went on a racist rant in Brixton McDonalds, I felt it was my duty to document it, because video footage can, and should, hold people like him accountable

If you’re one to keep your eyes on what’s going on across the pond, you may have heard about the recent incident in Washington captured on video, whereby a group of mostly white teens wearing Donald Trump’s MAGA hats, were filmed reportedly mocking an elderly Native American protester and chanting “build that wall”.

The footage has since gone viral, sparking lots of debate in the political arena. But should we always capture these moments and post them online? What happened before filming began? And after filming? Does the viral media clip distort reality towards our personal bias? I was faced with such a dilemma just over a week ago, in Brixton McDonald’s.

It was against the backdrop of the looming government vote on Brexit – the uncertainty, the hysteria, coupled with the underwhelming feeling typically experienced with post-Christmas blues, that I ventured into Brixton McDonald’s on 11 January.

So why did I film him and subsequently post the footage online onto my twitter account? Well, hitting the record button that night served as protection for me, and others, as well as evidence to document the abusive hate speech we were being subjected to.

It's the same when it comes to the incident between Nathan Phillips, the Native American man met with intimidation and ridicule, and the MAGA cap students. While there has been speculation that there is more to the story, those seen apparently taunting the Native American gentleman would likely have got off scot-free had the footage not been taken. Regardless of the claims of what happened prior to filming began, or the notion that one of the students captured in the video had been trying to "diffuse the situation", their actions are at best questionable.

In the UK, approximately 80 per cent of the population identifies as “white British”. The “gentleman” I encountered in McDonald’s that evening, was of the opinion that everyone outside of this 80 per cent and then some (feminists), are the reason his “country is f***ed”. If you haven’t seen the footage I filmed which has been viewed over 1.3 million times on my Twitter alone, then please watch it above.

I imagine George Ritzer’s McDonaldization of Society would have been named after another fast food restaurant chain entirely, had it been based solely on the events and alleged poor service that occured in Brixton McDonalds that night. What started off as a disgruntled customer’s rant about the efficiency of the service he believed he had received, soon turned into an unpredictable tirade, where the “gentleman” in question seemed to lose control, subjecting staff and customers alike (including myself), to hate speech both inside, and directly outside of the store (after he was escorted off the premises).

We live in a society which has certain attitudes and values towards hate speech, and as such, there are laws in place to prohibit this type of criminal behaviour and rhetoric. With all due respect, after watching both videos of this man in action, I think that anyone suggesting he was simply exercising his right to free speech, may want to look further into what constitutes hate speech, as stipulated by UK law.

10 minutes or so into the “gentleman's” rant, I decided I was going to begin filming, and was not discreet about my intention. Incidentally, a few days prior to this incident, the same individual was reportedly in the same McDonalds, making derogatory remarks towards the security guard (who was not “white British”).

There are many who have questioned why I didn’t tackle the individual head on, “verbally and, if needs be, physically”. Perhaps some of those people wouldn’t appreciate the frustration and the dilemma a young black man such as myself faces in instances like these.

Had I acted in the way these people are suggesting, could you imagine what the headlines would have been? Could you imagine me having to explain to future employers why my DBS informs them I’m not suitable to work for them?

Or could you imagine me in court versus said bigot, my word against his, no video footage, just him with a black eye (or worse), and me having to explain what led to that moment?

As I hope many can appreciate, there would have been no meaningful discussion between myself and the bigot, had I decided to confront him.

On the night of 22 April 1993, when Stephen Lawrence was murdered, had smartphones been “a thing” back then and had Duwayne Brooks or other witnesses filmed the perpetrators, the ensuing 25 years (and counting) would have played out very differently.

Filming is vital evidence and can bring to light to legislatures and those in governance what needs work within our society; sometimes it serves as a rather rude awakening that everything isn’t fine and dandy, and isn’t a bed of roses for those subjected to social ills on a daily basis.

It can, and it should, hold perpetrators accountable for their actions. I didn’t just put the video online for entertainment purposes, I tweeted it to local MPs, the local council and the local police. Video footage of such behaviour, can, and should, hold perpetrators accountable for their actions.

Across the pond it is no different, as the MAGA student standoff video, like so many others, demonstrates. The emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement too has arguably been spearheaded by technology. Civilians are often the ones filming shootings of unarmed black men. And while incidents in the US may have not increased, the available evidence of injustice has.

Perhaps the reason these videos go viral is our desire to see unchallenged online sneering idiocy the get the comeuppance it deserves: to be held accountable by those who know and employ those who behave this way.

Thankfully, most of the conversation surrounding this topic has condemned the actions of the man in McDonalds. To my mind, yes he was breaking the law, he should be called out publicly, and so should anyone else who behaves similarly.

Alex Parvenu is a British musician from London. You can follow Alex on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Check out his website here.