Glorification of Plymouth shooter prompts calls for change

Recent data shows that the number of visits to incel forums has increased by almost sixfold in nine months.

Jake Davison, who gunned down seven people, killing five, in a rampage in Plymouth in August 2021, is being lionised by an online incel community, with some celebrating the attack as an aid to their recruitment drive.

Before his death, the 22-year-old expressed misogynistic and homophobic tendencies, as well as angrily lamenting his failure to find a girlfriend. He also shared hate-filled views on Reddit forums used by incels – men who express online hostility and resentment towards those who are sexually active, particularly women.

Research shared with the Guardian by Moonshot, a counter-extremism tech company, has analysed online forums popular with incels to reveals the extent to which Davison’s killings in August struck a chord with many who, like him, were drawn to the subculture. Most of those posting on at least 13 threads hosted on the main English-language incel forum celebrated the attack.

The killings also prompted speculation about where users believe another attack could occur and the possibility of media coverage of the attacks bringing an influx of new incels.

The Times has recently reported that web traffic since March to three of the biggest incel sites has grown from 114,420 visits per month to 638,505.