A suspected UK shooter has been linked to 'incel' and 'black pill' online communities, which believe that women are institutionally treated better than men
- The suspected Plymouth shooter has been linked to a YouTube channel promoting "incel" culture.
- In uncovered videos and comments, the account referenced being a "virgin" and "blackpill" ideology.
- The 23-year-old is suspected of killing five others and himself in Plymouth last night.
A man named by police as a suspect in the shootings that took place in Plymouth, England, on Thursday has been linked to YouTube videos that promote "incel" culture, according to several reports.
Jake Davison, 23, is suspected of killing five people and injuring multiple others before turning the gun on himself. Officials say that the shooting occurred on Thursday evening in the Keyham area of the city.
A nearby resident, Sharron Turner, told The Times of London the shooter kicked down a door, killing a mother and child before shooting two dog walkers.
A now-deleted YouTube channel titled "Professor Waffle" purportedly belonging to Davidson made several references to an online community known as "incels," according to The Evening Standard.
The YouTube channel had over 17,000 subscribers and was also subscribed to Incel TV, which describes itself as "a channel for blackpill and lookism content."
The term "incel," a shortening of the phrase "involuntary celibate," refers to an online subculture of sexually inactive men who blame others - especially women, other men, and wider society - for their lack of romantic and sexual connections. The Southern Poverty Law Center, a not-for-profit legal advocacy organization, defines "incel" as being "part of the online male supremacist ecosystem." It is listed as an extremist hate group on their website.
"Underpinning it all: the idea that women owe men sex; that women exist purely for their reproductive and sexual capabilities; that men should dominate women," the organization writes.
The YouTube account believed to belong to Davison has since reportedly been terminated by YouTube.
Confirming the channel's removal to The Daily Beast, a YouTube spokesperson said, "Our hearts go out to those affected by this terrible incident. We have strict policies to ensure our platform is not used to incite violence."
The Plymouth shooting suspect reportedly made several references to 'incel' culture in his YouTube videos
In various videos, the Professor Waffle YouTube channel reportedly made reference to "chads" - a term used almost exclusively by "incel" communities to describe men who they perceive as more physically attractive and successful in pursuing romantic relationships than them.
In one video obtained by The Telegraph, Davison reportedly describes women as being "very simple-minded," saying that they are only drawn to attractive men.
"Let's say I get with a woman my age," he reportedly said in another video, according to The Daily Beast. "She's had a million relationships. Likely been destroyed and broken and torn apart by a f---ing chad. She's probably completely incapable of loving anyone like she did when she was 16, 17, 15, when she first got with that f---ing chad."
Saying that life is "rigged against him," in one resurfaced clip published by the Daily Mail, he added that "nothing's changed" for him over the years despite "working so f---ing hard," He reportedly said, "I'm still in the same position, same period in life, still a [...], virgin, fat, ugly, whatever you want to call it."
In another clip obtained by the Daily Mail, Davison reportedly compared himself to the Terminator, Arnold Schwarzenneger's character from the franchise of the same name, who is set on accomplishing his "mission" despite the odds stacked against him.
"The whole premise of the 'Terminator' movies is that you know everything's rigged against you, there's no hope for humanity" he said, the Daily Mail reported. "I know it's a movie but, you know, I like to think sometimes, you know, I'm a Terminator or something. And despite, reaching almost total system failure he keeps trying to accomplish his mission."
The suspect also appears to frequently reference 'black pill' ideology in YouTube videos and comments
The YouTube account also made several references to "black pill" philosophy, including a comment saying he had been "consuming the blackpill overdose," according to The Telegraph.
"Black pill" is a term linked to online incel communities that is similar to "red pill" culture. According to Quartz, the idea behind the term "black pill" is that "red pillers, who recognize the world as biased toward women and feminism as female supremacy, don't go far enough."
So, for red pillers, the "uncomfortable truth" about the world is that there is a systemic bias in favor of women and female supremacy. The "black pill" philosophy argues that success with the opposite sex is determined by genetics. To "black pill" believers, there is no point in trying to engage with the "system" by trying to improve your appearance or attempting to engage in relationships.
"The blackpill makes you looks-obsessed," an account purportedly belonging to Davison wrote in a further YouTube comment sourced by The Telegraph. "I never used to be this way, but the longer you go without any kind of interaction with women and sex relationships etc etc [sic] the more you become concerned about looks, but blackpill turbo charges it."
For more stories like this, check out coverage from Insider's Digital Culture team here.