Share

'Beliebers' brew hate speech on Twitter

Johannesburg - Justin Bieber’s, fans or 'Beliebers' as they call themselves, vented rage on Sunday when a relatively unknown singer took home the Grammy for Best New Artist.

Jazz singer Ezperanza Spalding was nominated alongside Bieber, R&B singer Drake as well as groups Florence and the Machine and Mumford and Sons.

Bieber was the favourite to win.

Spalding, the least well-known of the group walked away with the coveted award.

After Spalding won in the Best New Artist category, Bieber fans started tweeting insults and death threats at her.

First death threat

Some of the tweets read:

"Fuck @EspeSpalding. She stole Bieber’s Grammy." (@RockCyrus)

"This is the crazy bitch who beat Bieber. Let’s kill her." (@michellesimer).

"Dear Esperanza Spalding: Who the FUCK are you? Sincerely, the world." (@iKissedTheBieb)

"Hey @EspeSpalding, how does it feel to know that about 7 million people want to shoot/stab/choke/drown you?" (@seanarox).

"Now here is the moment that I send my first death threat. @Espespalding I hope you die, you unknown whore. You mess with the Biebs, we mess with you." (@BeliebInGagax)

The website Gawker reports that a article about Spalding also appeared on Wikipedia. Someone made an entry in capital letters that read: "Justin Bieber deserved it. Go die in a hole. Who the hell are you, anyway?"

By Monday morning all the entries were removed.

Bieber told MTV News shortly after he lost to Spalding: "Bieber fans, don’t be too upset. Be happy."
We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE