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An AI-generated video depicts a group of predominantly young black men dressed in balaclavas and padded jackets sliding down a water slide into a polluted swimming pool, where litter floats on the water’s surface. The caption claims this scene takes place at a taxpayer-funded water park in Croydon. This video is one example among many deepfakes portraying exaggerated scenes of urban decay, often attributed to the same south London area. Numerous similar accounts have emerged, producing content with analogous themes that have collectively amassed millions of views on platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels.
These fabricated videos are part of a broader online trend in which influencers and creators depict Western cities such as London, Manchester, San Francisco, and New York as overrun by immigrants and crime. This phenomenon has been labeled “decline porn,” where often exaggerated or fictional narratives—sometimes satirical—fuel anger and racist reactions among viewers who interpret them as truthful. The BBC investigated the creator behind the Croydon AI videos for the podcast *Top Comment*, revealing a new type of content creator who gains engagement by generating sensational material while rejecting responsibility for the political consequences of their work.
The individual behind these videos, known online as RadialB, says he never intended to spark political controversy or encourage imitators. Calling his work humorous, he admits to wanting viewers to believe these fabricated scenes to capture their attention. RadialB, who is in his twenties and from the northwest of England, confesses he has never been to Croydon. The AI-generated water park, zoo, and aquarium were created as part of an effort to escalate the absurdity of his content. He explains that the young men portrayed, often characterized as “roadmen”—urban youth stereotypes linked to drug dealing—are cultural archetypes he frequently uses. One video showing roadmen inside Parliament reportedly garnered eight million views in a single day.
When confronted about the racism his videos sometimes provoke, RadialB acknowledges the issue but points out that racist comments are filtered and removed by platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and X, which maintain policies against racial abuse. He insists that the AI prompts he uses focus on “roadmen wearing puffer jackets, track suits, and balaclavas” without a deliberate racial intent, aiming instead to
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