Gogglebox ‘s Tom Malone took a stand on social media yesterday and highlighted the vile racist abuse he and his girlfriend Bryony Briscoe had received.
Speaking to his followers, the 26-year-old revealed a derogatory comment had been made after he shared a video with his girlfriend over TikTok.
Opening up about the racist trolling the couple had been subjected to, he said: “So, not long ago I posted a video on TikTok of me and my girlfriend just having fun; some people said I was punching.
“It was to ‘Do you see what I done’ – that song, me and my girlfriend just dancing – I’ve got a peng girlfriend.
“So tell me why someone feels the need, in 2020, to comment this.”
Urging his fans to report the troll, Tom shared a screenshot of the vile remark, which read: “It’s illegal to own them these days.”
Lovebirds Tom and Bryony started dating earlier this year (Image: bryonybriscoe/Instagram)
Tom, who is a professional choreographer, asked his fans to promote positive change in an effort to stamp out TikTok trolls who spread a message of hate.
He said: “We are in 2020, people still want to be racist. People say that racism is done, it’s not – look at this stupidness.
“You’re clearly not an evolved human being, look at that.
“Report the comment, report the profiles, get this gone. TikTok is supposed to be a platform for people to have fun, dance, enjoy themselves – and you’ve got people saying stuff like this.
“#BlackLivesMatter is not a trend and we still need to stand up for what is right. Every single one of us has a platform on these apps no matter how big or small… And we need to use our platforms to promote change and fight inequalities.
Tom and Bryony protested during the Black Lives Matter movement, showing their solidarity with the movement (Image: tommalonejr/Instagram)
“This isn’t the first racist comment on posts with my girlfriend and unfortunately it probably won’t be the last. #BlackLivesMatter”.
Sadly, after flagging the user’s behaviour, the troll reportedly continued to make vile remarks, as Tom explained: “That same person has now made a video edit of my face on a black person’s body, stood next to a noose.
“So yeah, that’s the sort of person we’re dealing with.”
Bryony also shared a response to the trolling, blasting TikTok for failing to remove the comment from the video.
She said: “When I saw that comment I just rolled my eyes because although these comments may seem futile to many, somewhere down the line this behaviour enables the violent and systemic racism we’re still seeing today.
Model Bryony shared her response to the vile comments from trolls (Image: bryonybriscoe/Instagram)
“In a way I am lucky because I can recognise my privilege as a mixed-race person, but this does not diminish the pain of what I, black people, and other POC experience on a daily basis.
“I try my best to use my platform to address these things but I end up getting too invested and it really does have an affect on me mentally because it is distressing.
“This is a daily occurrence for most of us, but at the same time it’s so empowering to see so many people using their platform, their voices, and campaigning for change.”
Bryony and Tom, who rose to fame on Gogglebox in 2014, went public with their relationship in May, as she branded the Gogglebox star as her “support bubble”.
The stunning beauty, who hails from Leeds, reveals she works as a makeup model on her Instagram account, and recently graduated from university.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
