LUKE MARSDEN: My fear for online troll victims

Luke is no fan of the Face of Wigan but wouldn't be throwing it in the canal

Gone are the days of logical debate and friendly banter; instead it has been replaced by toxic division and slanging matches.

I won’t write down what has been thrown at me this week for tweeting that I don’t think Little Britain should have been removed from streaming platforms but let’s just say the nicest one was calling me a snowflake.

Which in itself didn’t make any sense and when I pointed this out, the abuse continued.

I’ve dealt with this for over a decade and I’m fortunate enough that I don’t lose any sleep over it.

But I know that some will and it’s for those social media users that I fear.

Social media has gone from being like a pint in the pub with your mate to a Salem witch trial over the past few years.

The ripping down of the statue in Bristol got me questioning if I’d like to see any removed in Wigan.

We have some great statues across the town, my favourite being of Sir Francis Powell in Mesnes Park.

I’m sure we all have a memory of our grandparents telling us to rub his shoe for luck.

To be honest for no other reason than I think it’s hideous, I’d like to see the Face of Wigan (pictured) removed.

TripAdvisor ranks it as the 16th best thing to see in Wigan. Surely we can do better than this? If that’s the true face of Wigan we need some nip and tuck.

However, I’m not suggesting for one moment that we get some grappling hooks, rope and throw the thing in the Leeds and Liverpool Canal although that would please some Twitter users...

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