Activate. Source: Twitter. Fair use.According to the popup on its website, “Activate is not a “Tory-momentum””. Nevertheless, if you’ve not heard of Activate, that’s the expression which sums it up best. A grassroots movement which is not officially affiliated with the Conservative Party, Activate’s aim is “to engage young people in the right of centre politics”.
Things have not gotten off to a great start. The group came under fire for talk of “gassing chavs” and “shooting peasants” in messages leaked from its WhatsApp group. Activate’s response was that these members did not represent it, but this did little to appease commentators like Owen Jones and others.Then, things got strange – fast. The group came out on Twitter in support of Jacob Rees-Mogg as Tory leader in a move that wasn’t exactly shocking. After all, as a popular, outspoken, long-time backbencher of the Tory party, it’s fair to label him the Conservative equivalent of Jeremy Corbyn. Momentum and its members were Corbyn’s biggest backers during his leadership campaign, so it made sense that Activate would back Rees-Mogg during his leadership campaign.Except that there is no Tory leadership campaign and Rees-Mogg has already made it clear that he has no interest in being the leader of the Tory Party. As it turned out, this was all an elaborate ruse. Activate’s account had been hacked, something which became clear as the increasingly cringeworthy Rees-Mogg memes kept just kept coming. Rees-Mogg memes. Source: Twitter. Fair use.In a statement to The Guardian, the group claimed that the attack was performed by a “he or she”. However, when I emailed Activate about the attack, it claimed that it was performed “by a Momentum activist who has been identified.” Activate went on to state: “we are in contact with both the Police and Twitter over this cyber attack”.
Other problems haven’t helped matters, either. The group is currently Tweeting from @ActivateBritain, but accounts like @ActivateUK_ and @Activate_uk_net are also posing as the original Activate. In between this and the whole hacking affair, it’s been difficult to figure out where parody ends and the group’s genuine efforts begin.
If all of this sounds confusing, you’re not alone. The Independent originally reported on Activate’s support of Jacob Rees-Mogg as serious news, having no reason to believe otherwise. It has since removed the article. In short, it’s been a surreal first couple of weeks. As someone who makes a living in digital marketing, I would argue that things can improve.
