A woman is being criticized online for 'performative activism' after posing with a drill in front of a boarded-up storefront amid LA protests

by 24USATVJune 3, 2020, 6 a.m. 64
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• A woman is receiving intense social media backlash after a now-viral video shows her posing with a drill in front of a boarded-up storefront in LA amid protests before running into her Mercedes-Benz.
• Outraged viewers are calling the woman's behavior "self-promotional" and an example of "performative activism."
• The woman in the video was identified by several commenters as journalist Fiona Moriarty-McLaughlin, who previously received online attention for a tweet criticizing protestors in Los Angeles. Insider could not independently confirm her identity.

As nationwide protests in response to the killing of George Floyd have intensified, social media users are receiving backlash for self-promotional behavior and stunts capitalizing on the somber historical moment.

On Monday, Twitter user @ewufortheloss posted a video of a woman borrowing a drill from a construction worker boarding up a storefront in Santa Monica. After posing for a photo with the drill in front of the store, the woman thanked the construction worker — and then she and her photographer proceeded to step into a black Mercedes-Benz and drive away.

"Good job, guys! BLM," an onlooker can be heard saying in the background.

"This lady stopped someone boarding up a store in Santa Monica so she could hold the drill for a picture, then drove away," the tweet reads. "Please don't do this."

"The problem here is that she's 1) using this terrible situation to promote herself instead of the man who's actually helping and 2) completely insensitive to racial / class tensions," the Twitter user wrote in a follow-up thread. "Influencers: use your platform for ACTUAL good, not the PERCEPTION of good."

The video quickly racked up over 15 million views and spurred outrage among viewers disturbed by "performative activism."

"wow, that's vile," Walter Shaub, the former Director of the United States Office of Government Ethics, commented on the video.

"And notice that she's pretending to be part of the clean up crew. Not the protest," another wrote. I wonder what her caption will be."

Filmmaker and director Ava DuVernay reposted the video, writing, "You know what? I'm... I think I'm gonna put Twitter away for a few minutes before I throw this phone across the room."

The tweet has received over 100,000 likes and comments from celebrities and activist organizations alike.

"So utterly awed by this," the official Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES) Twitter account wrote. "Influencer culture at its worst."

The original poster asked commenters not to "doxx" or release the personal information of the woman in the video — although their attempts at discouraging investigation went largely ignored.

"Let's use this as something that helps us understand what's right and what's wrong, rather than an opportunity to brand someone for life," they wrote in the thread.

Commenters, however, were determined to uncover the woman's identity, with one Twitter user writing, "Whats her IG? We got work to do."

New York Times technology reporter Taylor Lorenz identified the woman as Fiona Moriarty-McLaughlin, whose Twitter bio described her as a "Commentary" journalist with the Washington Examiner and former employee Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter. Several other commenters, some of whom claimed to know the woman pictured, identified Moriarty-McLaughlin and tagged the Washington Examiner in their tweets.

The woman's identity has not been independently verified by Insider, and Fiona Moriarty-McLaughlin did not respond to Insider's request for comment.

Since the video went viral, Moriarty-McLaughlin's Twitter profile appears to have been deleted and her Instagram has been set to private.

Some people claiming to be acquaintances of the woman in the video weighed in on the controversy in the comments section.

"She attended the same high school as me and theater program in Santa Monica," one commenter wrote. "Personality wise she was not the nicest person. Really disappointing."

This isn't the first time that Moriarty-McLaughlin has received social media attention this week, thanks to her recent tweet criticizing protestors in Los Angeles.

On Sunday, Insider reported, Moriarty-McLaughlin filmed a protester in Los Angeles spray-painting "Black Lives Matter!" across a billboard for haircare brand Ouai.

"BREAKING: As if vandalizing all the buildings in LA wasn't enough @Blklivesmatter has taken to the billboards as a crowd of rioters roars in approval. #GeorgeFloyd #LARiots," she captioned the video (which is no longer available).

Ouai founder Jen Atkin, a celebrity hairstylist, responded to the tweet with a message in support of the protestors.

"Made our sign every better," she tweeted in response to Moriarty-McLaughlin's video.

Atkin even went on to post a photo of the billboard on Instagram.

"I would have climbed up there myself," she wrote.

If you have any information about this video please contact [email protected].

Jen Atkin, the owner of hair-care brand Ouai, says she supports protesters writing 'Black Lives Matter!' across one of her billboards

People are flooding social media with black squares for Blackout Tuesday, but critics say they could do more harm than good for the Black Lives Matter protests

People are urging influencers and celebrities to support Black Lives Matter online or stop posting entirely

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