The man accused of creating the “humorous” memes which shamed and ridiculed patrons of Club 386 in uMhlanga for their complexion and appearance, has been receiving threats since the public outcry over the images.
Black Orchid Inc Media PR representative Abhishek Hariparsad said his client – who he did not want to be named for safety reasons – was living in fear as assault threats against him had escalated.
Social pictures were allegedly snatched from the club’s social media pages and edited to create the memes.
Hariparsad said his client, who is one of three content creators for the social media group Maadhirmemes, created some of the memes, and found no issue with taking personal photos of individuals off other social media pages to create what he perceived to be humorous.
“I must place on record that my client is not solely responsible for creating the wide array of memes which have been shared; however, he has taken responsibility to remove the memes from social media after there were complaints. Unfortunately, he made a few of the memes, but they were not as controversial as those which later surfaced. Those caused harm to people through mockery,” he added.
Despite posting the memes of various individuals who visited the venue without their permission, Hariparsad said it was not his client’s intention to insult anyone.
“The management team from the club has contacted us and we are working on resolving the situation. The team at Maadhirmemes has decided to break the silence of the recent meme campaign that was published via Instagram and Facebook, and we are committed to making a positive impact on the community. A percentage of all sales from our merchandise will be dedicated to supporting those who have been affected by the recent memes,” he added.
One of the club’s owners, who wanted to be known only as Alex, said the social pictures had been taken with the consent of the patrons. He too had been receiving threats as the memes had carried the name of his club.
He said it was unacceptable for
people to intentionally cause harm to others due to their appearance.
“Innocent people who visited the venue with their families and friends were targeted. We distanced ourselves from the making of the memes and have engaged our attorneys to seek recourse on the matter,” said Alex.
He said while the photos were removed from the Maadhirmeme social media pages, the matter was now a legal one and he would be taking action.
“This incident has affected my business and we know that we have been targeted by mischief makers. We cannot understand how someone can attack others in this manner. The Indian community has always been a big supporter of our venue and we have received their support through this drama.
“We treat everyone the same no matter what their skin colour or appearance is. The number of Indian people who frequent our venue shows that we are intolerant of racism and colourism, and cater to everyone equally. We do not allow underage people into the venue and have followed every rule to ensure that our patrons are safe,” Alex added.
The club’s photographer, Jerome Govender, also claimed the “poor humour” in the memes was the work of mischief makers. He denied that he was vindictive or callous in the manner in which he had taken the photos.
He said certain photographs from the hundreds published on the club’s social media pages had been snatched and turned into memes.
The creators of the memes had attacked patrons on their appearance, age and dress, he said.
Govender added that a meme had also been made of him and a female friend, which he did not find funny.
With his mental health taking a knock from the hurtful memes, Verulam resident Nolan Reddy took to Tiktok to express his dissatisfaction.
Reddy was attacked by internet trolls for being dark in complexion.
In the online video, he said he never thought that “going to a place for fun would bring total destruction” to his life.
“People are making fun of my complexion and I have a medical condition. The condition has affected my lungs as well, and I do not have funds to get medical treatment,” Nolan said.
He sarcastically appealed to the social media bullies who made fun of him to contribute towards his treatment, so he could “look the way they wanted” him to look.
Reacting to the memes, local actor Jack Devnarain said he was dismayed at the most “grotesque and shameful stream of spite” he had ever seen emanate from Indian people on social media.
“They were intentionally mocking, insulting and derisive about people’s appearance, their complexion, their age, their dress, the way they appeared in the photos.
“The fact that people give themselves licence to mock others in that coarse and infantile manner is problematic,” said Devnarain.
“Perhaps the licence to build a reputation based on hateful mockery is built into the fabric of social media platforms. But it certainly is revealing what those Indian people poke fun at,” he added.
Devnarain said their behaviour revealed that “they yearn to be affirmed and recognised, even as bullies”.
“And there’s no concealing the fact that bullies are acknowledged to be some of the biggest bed-wetting cowards in the world,” he added.
“Consider if you’ve become the kind of person your parents warned you about. Think about your name and what it means, your surname and where it comes from.
“Think about the values you were raised with. Then ask yourself if you and the words you use are a true reflection of the home you come from,” Devnarain said.