A man has been arrested after crashing into the Downing Streets gate in his car. It’s safe to say social media had a field day with this one…
Some people focused on the seriousness of the event, especially as it was all unfolding. Others took it as the perfect opportunity to mock the UK government’s state further.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt were in the building when it happened.
The driver pic.twitter.com/2kKBuoFXrs
— FlyingBear (@BigPawsRule) May 25, 2023
The car only hit the gates, it didn’t go any further.
There were no reported injuries, and business very much continued as usual.
Named Seth Kneller, the 43-year-old was held under suspicion of criminal damage and dangerous driving. He also appeared in court several days later, charged separately with making indecent images of children.
Twitter’s Response to the Crash
You can always rely on Twitter to provide an immediate and often hilarious response to events like this. People love to have a platform to share their opinions… even if they’re not always completely thought through!
The general consensus was that this event was the perfect time to comment on the state of the UK government. After all, ‘crash’ is a bit of a buzzword within recent UK politics.
A car crash in Downing Street? That’s not breaking news mate, it’s been happening daily for the past 13 years. It’s what happens when you elect a Conservative government.
— Supertanskiii (@supertanskiii) May 25, 2023
Am I alone in thinking that this Downing Street "crash" is just another attempt by the Tories to distract from their immigration failures, Boris Johnson, #PartyGate Suella Braverman and other scandals?pic.twitter.com/8VOPaUrHCe
— Socialist Opera Singer (@OperaSocialist) May 25, 2023
The police very quickly ruled out the incident as terror-related. There has been no connection made between the UK government and this incident. It has been assumed it was a one-off event.
In the same breath, some people on Twitter went for a comedic take. After all, everyone loves a meme!
Police release CCTV of Downing Street crash pic.twitter.com/MfetbdM64v
— European Unity #FBPE 🇪🇺🇺🇦#Johnson’sOut #Rejoin (@EuropeanUnity1) May 26, 2023
It seemed all the recent Tory Prime Ministers, and granted there has been a quick turnaround in the last few years, were brought in to be ridiculed as events unfolded.
Downing Street car crash pic.twitter.com/BUD6jLknCN
— European Unity #FBPE 🇪🇺🇺🇦#Johnson’sOut #Rejoin (@EuropeanUnity1) May 25, 2023
Overall it was pretty clear Twitter just wanted to use this incident to mock the government. Once it was declared nothing to be worried about, little thought was given to the man and the actual incident at all. Brits are very good at taking something and running with it!!
TikTok’s Response to the Crash
TikTok has become a social media platform where a lot of people now get their news. Especially amongst the younger generation, the short snappy videos are the way people know what’s going on.
As a platform it allows the general public to create their own newsbites of information, as such. It also allows theories to start on potentially the cause of incidents.
@noahbearnyle Car crashes into Downing Street gates #noahbearnyle #lgbtq #trans #welsh #police #downingstreet #car #crash
♬ original sound – Noah Bear Nyle
Similarly, TikTok allows people to be the first people on the scene of an incident. Film the incident as it unfolds and then immediately post it for the world to see.
Whenever an incident like this happens, you can be sure that social media will have something to say on the matter. Nowadays, social media is such a big source of how people access, appreciate, and understand their news!
Hello! I am a third year undergraduate student at the University of York studying English Literature. I am currently editor of my student publication York Vision and I have been working with Trill since 2022.
