- Matildas star and fiancé announced they are expecting
- Turned off social media comments because of trolls
Internet trolls have hijacked Australian Matildas captain Sam Kerr‘s baby announcement with a sick conspiracy theory surrounding her motives for having a child.
Mewis will carry their child, with the couple making the announcement on Instagram with images of them in a photo booth showing off scans that confirm their pregnancy.
‘Mewis-Kerr baby coming 2025!’ they captioned the post.
While they received a flood of well wishes and congratulations from teammates, sporting identities and fans around the world, there was also a torrent of hateful posts made against the couple.
That has forced the couple to disable comments on their announcement.
While the abusive comments have largely been homophobic outbursts against the same-sex couple, a pocket of conspiracy theorists have taken it to another level.
They have claimed Kerr and Mewis have engineered the pregnancy to garner public sympathy and support because the Australian striker faces court in February next year.
Kerr has been charged with racially aggravated harassment after allegedly calling a police officer in the UK a ‘stupid white PC’ following an alleged dispute over a taxi fare after a night out in Twickenham in January 2023.
As a result, in January 2024, Kerr was charged with intentionally causing racially aggravated harassment, alarm, or distress under Section 4A of the Public Order Act 1986.
She has pleaded not guilty to the charge, and her trial is scheduled for February 2025.
She will face a four-day trial at Kingston Crown Court where her defence will argue there was an abuse of power and aim to have the case thrown out.
Some trolls attempted to be subtle in linking the pregnancy with the court case.
‘Now that she’s back in the spotlight – what happened with the racism case?’ one asked.
‘I’m more interested in how her “court case” is going,’ posted another.
Others were far more direct, accusing Kerr and Mewis of trying to influence the court ahead of her trial.
‘No mention of her charge of racially abusing a police officer. Isn’t it wonderful (sarcasm) how the media loves to conceal reality?’ one troll posted.
‘Trying to stay out of jail,’ added another.
‘How’s that charge against racially harassing a cop going?’ asked yet another.
The ugly comments sections on social media posts have also included a series of comments hitting back at the trolls.
‘Why such sad comments from you peeps! Can’t you all just say congratulations! It’s the 21st century! Remember your manners!’ one supporter posted.
‘If you know me I’m not a fan of Sam Kerr at all, but this has been a crazy boatload of ignorance and hate,’ another follower added.
‘Some of the comments here are pathetic. Just be happy for them. ffs. You don’t have to voice your opinion ALL the time,’ posted another.
