A family from Redcar, North Yorkshire, say their lives have been ruined after a video of a black man playing in a park with his white granddaughters was shared by far-right activist Tommy Robinson and weaponised online.
Olajuwon Ayeni, a musician, has been racially abused and falsely labelled a paedophile since the video was stolen from his wife Natalie's TikTok account and shared by Robinson to his 1.4 million followers. The couple's local MP, Anna Turley, wrote a letter of good character after Ayeni was suspended by his management.
Ayeni said: 'Music is my life. My social media will be damaged, my career will be tarnished … but I am determined to show the truth.' His wife added: 'We haven't gone outside at home, we just can't. Someone was shouting “paedophile” outside the house the other night.'
The couple have been threatened in the street, with one incident where two men said they would 'come back to slash you up'. Despite reporting threats to Cleveland Police, officers said sharing the video does not constitute a crime. Superintendent Emily Harrison urged social media users to stop sharing the video or incorrect information.
