Far-right editor's offer to pay travel costs to 'crime-ridden Malmö' backfires as dozens accept
An offer from the editor of a far-right website to pay travel costs and accommodation for any journalist willing to stay in "crime-ridden migrant suburbs" of Malmö appears to have backfired, after dozens of people accepted his pledge on Twitter.
Paul Joseph Watson made the offer on Wednesday, in response to criticism of US President Donald Trump for making false claims about crime in Sweden.
Any journalist claiming Sweden is safe; I will pay for travel costs & accommodation for you to stay in crime ridden migrant suburbs of Malmo
— Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) February 20, 2017
Watson's pledge has since been met with a wave of replies from people willing to make the trip, including comedian Al Murray, broadcaster Matthew Sweet, and Vanity Fair's Kurt Eichenwald.
"Can I bring my wife too? I'm excited!" Eichenwald asked eagerly in response:
.@PrisonPlanet WOW! Can I bring my wife too? Give me your contact info so we can start setting up the trip. I'm excited!
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 20, 2017
@captainjaubrey @LFBarfe @PrisonPlanet I like to write. And Sweden is an ace city break place.
— Al Murray the318 (@almurray) February 20, 2017
@almurray @captainjaubrey @LFBarfe @PrisonPlanet Look, here's a lovely comedy club that serves Moroccan food. https://t.co/8tiwMoOiRc
— Matthew Sweet (@DrMatthewSweet) February 20, 2017
.@PrisonPlanet Hey Paul, I'm from LBC Radio and would be delighted to take you up on this offer. How long can I stay? Fortnight?
— Chris Hemmings (@Hemmch) February 20, 2017
@PrisonPlanet I accept. I will send you my bank info and send you selfies from Malmo. If you do not pay, you will be ridiculed.
— Joey Ayoub (@joeyayoub) February 20, 2017
I'M STILL WAITING FOR MY MONEY @PrisonPlanet. I WANT TO GO TO MALMO NOW.
— Joey Ayoub (@joeyayoub) February 20, 2017
I am interested! Travel costs will be cheap too, I live about ten minutes away. Seven bucks should get me there and back. https://t.co/fJNPKCOwD6
— Andreas Ekström (@andreasekstrom) February 20, 2017
Malmö’s deputy mayor Nils Karlsson even responded, saying he would be happy to meet any journalists sent to the city.
Hello, @PrisonPlanet. I'm a deputy mayor in Malmö. I would be happy to meet with any journalists you send here to ser for themselves.
— Nils Karlsson (@FilosofenNils) February 20, 2017
Looking forward to seeing you, @jamesdoleman! What a great guy @PrisonPlanet is!
— Nils Karlsson (@FilosofenNils) February 20, 2017
Watson has since donated $2,000 to one journalist, US-based Tim Pool, who is crowd-funding an investigative trip to Sweden. The rest of the willing travellers seem destined to be disappointed, however.
The rush to grab a paid trip to Malmö is one of the more light-hearted consequences of the spotlight being thrust on Sweden this week in the wake of US President Trump's bizarre comments last Saturday, which implied a non-existent serious incident had taken place in the country the day before.
Trump later clarified by saying that his statement was in reference to a story on Fox News. The story, an interview with filmmaker Ami Horowitz claiming there had been a “surge in both gun violence and rape in Sweden since it began its open door policy,” has since been derided for its factual inaccuracies, and the police officers interviewed for it claim their quotes were taken out of context.
Horowitz denies that their answers were manipulated however, telling Fox News on Monday:
"I’ve never had a subject claim, and certainly not prove, that I ever misled them or ever doctored the footage. It’s never happened before. So my record stands for itself, and what you saw on that video clear as day stands for itself."
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Paul Joseph Watson made the offer on Wednesday, in response to criticism of US President Donald Trump for making false claims about crime in Sweden.
Any journalist claiming Sweden is safe; I will pay for travel costs & accommodation for you to stay in crime ridden migrant suburbs of Malmo
— Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) February 20, 2017
Watson's pledge has since been met with a wave of replies from people willing to make the trip, including comedian Al Murray, broadcaster Matthew Sweet, and Vanity Fair's Kurt Eichenwald.
"Can I bring my wife too? I'm excited!" Eichenwald asked eagerly in response:
.@PrisonPlanet WOW! Can I bring my wife too? Give me your contact info so we can start setting up the trip. I'm excited!
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) February 20, 2017
@captainjaubrey @LFBarfe @PrisonPlanet I like to write. And Sweden is an ace city break place.
— Al Murray the318 (@almurray) February 20, 2017
@almurray @captainjaubrey @LFBarfe @PrisonPlanet Look, here's a lovely comedy club that serves Moroccan food. https://t.co/8tiwMoOiRc
— Matthew Sweet (@DrMatthewSweet) February 20, 2017
.@PrisonPlanet Hey Paul, I'm from LBC Radio and would be delighted to take you up on this offer. How long can I stay? Fortnight?
— Chris Hemmings (@Hemmch) February 20, 2017
@PrisonPlanet I accept. I will send you my bank info and send you selfies from Malmo. If you do not pay, you will be ridiculed.
— Joey Ayoub (@joeyayoub) February 20, 2017
I'M STILL WAITING FOR MY MONEY @PrisonPlanet. I WANT TO GO TO MALMO NOW.
— Joey Ayoub (@joeyayoub) February 20, 2017
I am interested! Travel costs will be cheap too, I live about ten minutes away. Seven bucks should get me there and back. https://t.co/fJNPKCOwD6
— Andreas Ekström (@andreasekstrom) February 20, 2017
Malmö’s deputy mayor Nils Karlsson even responded, saying he would be happy to meet any journalists sent to the city.
Hello, @PrisonPlanet. I'm a deputy mayor in Malmö. I would be happy to meet with any journalists you send here to ser for themselves.
— Nils Karlsson (@FilosofenNils) February 20, 2017
Looking forward to seeing you, @jamesdoleman! What a great guy @PrisonPlanet is!
— Nils Karlsson (@FilosofenNils) February 20, 2017
Watson has since donated $2,000 to one journalist, US-based Tim Pool, who is crowd-funding an investigative trip to Sweden. The rest of the willing travellers seem destined to be disappointed, however.
The rush to grab a paid trip to Malmö is one of the more light-hearted consequences of the spotlight being thrust on Sweden this week in the wake of US President Trump's bizarre comments last Saturday, which implied a non-existent serious incident had taken place in the country the day before.
Trump later clarified by saying that his statement was in reference to a story on Fox News. The story, an interview with filmmaker Ami Horowitz claiming there had been a “surge in both gun violence and rape in Sweden since it began its open door policy,” has since been derided for its factual inaccuracies, and the police officers interviewed for it claim their quotes were taken out of context.
Horowitz denies that their answers were manipulated however, telling Fox News on Monday:
"I’ve never had a subject claim, and certainly not prove, that I ever misled them or ever doctored the footage. It’s never happened before. So my record stands for itself, and what you saw on that video clear as day stands for itself."
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