Activist 'in hiding' fearing for her safety
Popular Twitch user and local transgender activist Clara Sorrenti says she is currently in hiding — fearing for her safety.
Sorrenti says she has received threats after going public with an incident involving the London Police Service. She posted the experience on YouTube Thursday night.
“I have been the target of an intense harassment campaign for several months,” says Sorrenti in a video she posted online. “Users of the website kiwifarms.com had doxed me and publicly posted the address of my hotel room [and] the house that I used to live at.”
On Aug, 5, Sorrenti was an alleged victim of what police are now investigating as a possible "swatting incident."
During that time, it’s alleged that police used Sorrenti's dead name and incorrect gender. LPS Police Chief Steve Williams has since apologized for the mishandling of the incident.
For now, Sorrenti says she is living in an Airbnb that is being rented by a third party in order to protect her identity.
“This case serves as an example of just how insidious swatting has become,” says Carmi Levy, a tech expert. “It isn’t a one-time impact, it’s ongoing and in some cases like this one…never seems to end.”
Sorrenti has shared online that her family, friends and people associated with her have been doxed.
According to Levi, cases like this one are becoming more frequent and difficult to manage.
“Police forces both here in London and across North America have been struggling with this in recent years. Unfortunately, law enforcement finds itself between a rock and a hard place and there is no easy solution,” Levy says.
And despite some unresolved issues with police, Sorrenti says police are taking the current threats against her seriously and they are working together on the matter.
“I am scared that things are going to escalate in future violence against me,” Sorrenti says.
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