Rival Facebook campaigns stir up a storm in a seaside teacup
 Police quiz Margate councillors after Tesco row gets out of hand It started as a Facebook discussion of plans for a new supermarket in a coastal town. Then matters got out of hand. A mildly interesting debate about how to transform Margate's economic prospects became an epic case of small-town paranoia that has dragged in the local police, the MP and crime commissioner, resulted in three Tory councillors being questioned under caution for conspiracy to harass, and left a local entrepreneur believing she was victim of a campaign to damage her and her business. Gentrification is clearly a divisive subject in Margate, the Kent resort where Tracey Emin grew up, and which is now making a name for itself with the opening of the Turner Contemporary art gallery and a host of cultural projects. The seeds for the row were sown when the government's small businesses champion, Mary Portas, visited Margate and selected it as one of her 12 pilot regeneration schemes. One supporter of the bid was Louise Oldfield, a Yorkshire-born owner of a boutique B&B in the town. When Tesco came along with plans for an 82,000 sq ft supermarket near the town's beachfront, close to a landmark 1960s tower block, Portas protested that it would damage Margate's revival. Oldfield and other concerned locals entered the fray and a "No to Tesco" Facebook campaign was started. Other locals, who saw the Tesco store as bringing jobs to a deprived area, joined a rival Facebook "Yes to Tesco" site. The increasingly bitter debate, which was played out on several blogs, including Thanet Life, run by local Tory councillor Dr Simon Moores, was decided last June when communities secretary Eric Pickles gave Tesco the green light. As Oldfield led a campaign against the decision, she suffered online abuse from what appeared to be a number of people hiding behind a pseudonym. A shocked Oldfield referred the comments to police who, following an initial investigation into whether she was the victim of a conspiracy to harass, decided not to pursue the matter. However, they changed their minds after Oldfield approached the office of Kent's police commissioner, Ann Barnes. As part of their renewed investigation, the officers examined comments posted on Moores's Thanet Life blog and the Facebook pages of the former mayor of Margate and Tory councillor Mick Tomlinson, on which he suggested that Oldfield had exaggerated the size and position of the proposed Tesco. A third Tory councillor, who ticked "like" to Tomlinson's suggestion, was also questioned. All three councillors were questioned under caution for conspiracy to harass. A decision over what happens next lies with the Crown Prosecution Service. Barnes insists she did not demand police reinvestigate the matter. "As police and crime commissioner, I did not and cannot by law tell police what to investigate, as this is an operational decision," she said. Moores, a computer expert, says he is bewildered by what has happened. He compared the police's decision to question him under caution, solely on the strength of postings written by others on his moderated blog, and another councillor on the grounds that he liked something on Facebook, as akin to something "out of North Korea". Moores says he is considering standing down as a councillor. "Social media should carry a large health warning for anyone involved in politics," he said. "Should someone feel offended or even harassed by anything you might have innocently published, watch out, because … the police may come knocking on your door." theguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds |
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