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TikTok stars include a comedian, rapper, lifestyle influencer and American travel blogger who will each receive £5,000 to encourage migrants not to cross the Channel illegally. .
The Home Office has allocated up to £100,000 to countries such as Albania, which have large numbers of migrants who enter the UK illegally.
The plan, a modern update of the “public information film,” aims to reach “hard-to-reach” groups who fall for the lies spread by traffickers.
The plan was floated in Downing Street by Cass Horowitz, the social media expert behind ‘Brand Rishi’. But campaigners brand the plan “toy town tinkering” and insist it will have “zero impact”.
Online celebrities take cash from British taxpayers to warn potential migrants that they could be deported to, say, Rwanda or lose their right to work.
According to the paper, the first batch will target Albania, Iraq, Egypt and Vietnam, with plans to introduce it to Turkey and India as well.
But the plans have already been scuppered by activists, with Arp Mehmet, chairman of the UK Migration Watchdog, telling MailOnline: “This is just a toy town tinkering.” It doesn’t affect the intersection of numbers, but it still costs taxpayers the same.
“The only serious option to address this crisis is to undertake fundamental reforms to the legal framework that allow illegal immigrants to challenge and prevent their removal.”
This will form part of a £1 million advertising campaign which will be launched to coincide with the first Rwandan migration planned for spring.
More than 13,600 Albanians will reach the UK by small boat in 2022, but last year that number fell by 90%.
Below, MailOnline profiles four online personalities the Home Office plans to hire.
Rapper posing with cash and fast car
The Home Office hired an outside firm, Multicultural Marketing Consultants, to find candidates for the TikTok scheme.
Omg Dioh was cited as a good choice because it “uses this platform to influence and educate young people to work hard and follow their passions.”
The rapper has a YouTube channel called “Youngdreamer ENT” with over 5,000 subscribers. He also has over 100,000 followers on TikTok.
Recent songs feature him rapping inside a luxury car and waving large wads of banknotes.
In another photo, he is seen holding a gun in one hand, sporting a tattoo that reads “Loyal” and impersonated as a character from the video game “Grand Theft Auto.”
His photos posted on Instagram include inspirational messages such as “This new year will bring new things” and “There are no limits.”
Comedian with ‘strong Northern Albanian accent’
Another influencer who has come to the attention of the Home Office is comedian Roxi Dibrani, who has 150,000 followers.
Officials believe that his “strong Northern Albanian accent may help him get his message across to young people in the target region.”
Most of Dibrani’s content appears to be self-produced videos of him speaking directly to the camera.
Earlier today, he posted a message asking companies who want to use his channel for advertising to contact him.
“Funny and optimistic” lifestyle influencer
Fabio Daja has been described by those involved as a “lifestyle influencer” who is “interested in issues and willing to share his opinions in an entertainingly optimistic way.”
He has more than 108,000 followers on TikTok, and his profile is captioned, “Catch up on Fabio.”
A recent video shows him eating Kentucky Fried Chicken with a young girl and telling jokes to make her laugh.
He also appears regularly on Albanian television, discussing current events.
American travel blogger ‘fell in love’ with Albania
Ben Washburn, an American travel blogger with over 100,000 TikTok followers, says he fell in love with Albania while traveling.
His Instagram profile is full of images showing the country’s beautiful beaches and countryside, and also features other aspects of the culture, such as food.
The influencer moved to the capital Tirana in 2019 and first visited the cities of Durres, Berat, Podgradec, Permet and Korce.
He promises his followers to “get a glimpse of some of the wonderful places Albania has to offer” and encourages them to “visit sometime in the future.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “Smugglers frequently use social media to spread lies and facilitate criminal activity. They also use similar platforms to reveal the truth about crossing the Channel into the UK illegally. It is extremely important that immigrants be made aware of this.”
“We make no apologies for taking whatever steps were necessary to stop the boat and save lives.”
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