The Monocle Minute

It’s vigilante porn and it’s a social media hit. Pickpockets confronted, bike thieves challenged, shoplifters filmed while stuffing wine bottles down their capacious knickers – all recorded for uploading to Tiktok, Instagram and the like. The vigilante has often been an uncomfortable figure; it’s the vigilante who gave us the lynch mob, who pointed the finger at the innocent but different with horrific consequences. So, surely, these matters should be left to the police to investigate? Justice – even of the filmic variety – should not be handed to the man or woman on the street.

In cities from Madrid to London and Rome to Paris, however, the police are so overwhelmed by petty crime, which now seems to encompass anything from a phone snatched to a shoplifter gone wild, that there is scant hope of any action being taken. Recent figures suggest that up to 250 phones are stolen in London every day (some 2 per cent are recovered). People feel powerless. If only someone could do something.

The most famous of these street vigilantes is Monica Poli in Venice. Videos of her confronting suspected pickpockets have generated tens of millions of views (she does this while shouting her catchphrase, “Attenzione! Pickpocket”). She’s a hero for some but called out by others on the left because of her political affiliation to the Lega party, whose leader – Italy’s deputy prime minister, Matteo Salvini – has expressed views that are seen as anti-Roma. But Poli now has a multitude of imitators, of all races, who pose as a new variety of caped crusader, stepping in to do good, out to stop the robbers.

The devolution of justice to Tiktokers is far from ideal but neither are cities where you will be relentlessly pursued by the authorities if you leave your garbage out on the wrong day or break a speed limit in your car, but probably left alone if you shoplift. Until that changes, until it’s safe to be on the phone in the street, then vigilante porn is here to stay.

Andrew Tuck is Monocle’s editor in chief. For more opinion, analysis and insight, subscribe to Monocle today.

At the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, it’s not the world leaders who are the signifiers of global change; it’s the temporary tenants of the buildings on the promenade. These Alpine chalets, fronted by countries, continents and companies, are designed to showcase culture, dictate discourse and prove that their patch is ripe for investment. This year there is momentum around Africa House, which gives the continent a home for deal-making at the summit for the first time. Rubbing shoulders in the chalet are heads of state and big businesses – all making serious commitments for 2025, with Saudi Arabia among the nations trying to do business. The Monocle Minute joined Ghanaian-Nigerian businessman Kojo Annan, chairman of Africa House and son of former UN secretary-general Kofi, to discover more about its mission in Davos.

Why is 2025 the year to make your mark at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting?
We saw no African presence [in Davos] and felt that it was high time for our own house on the promenade, in which Africans could lead the conversation. It was very clear to me that the people who know the best solutions for Africa are African.

How is the continent changing in terms of manufacturing and trade?
The vision is to produce goods in Africa but also to export to the world. Goods have always gone the other way; we’re very much a consumption economy. A lot of businesses are starting to see Ghana, for instance, as their soft landing into the rest of the continent. It’s a country with a very enabling, conducive business environment and, of course, it’s part of the Economic Community of West African States.

What are your key priorities for the house this year?
We don't want to be just another talking shop; we want the house to be a place where decisions are made. Africa is not just the future but, increasingly, the present. It’s in the whole world’s interest to have a strong and buoyant Africa, especially given the population growth that we are anticipating.

Listen to the full interview with Kojo Annan on this morning’s edition of ‘The Globalist’ at 07.00 London time onMonocle Radio.

Many of the world’s biggest fashion houses come together in Paris to host larger-than-life shows (writes Natalie Theodosi). This year, however, a tonal shift is afoot on the runways of Paris Fashion Week Men’s. It’s hard for anyone – even the Milanese – to compete with French brands’ large-scale productions, which often include armies of famous faces on their front rows and historic locations as backdrops. And though that formula is still working for some, influence is shifting when it comes to setting the industry tone and shaping how we’ll dress next season. So far the most powerful shows at Paris Fashion Week Men’s, which runs until Sunday, have taken place in far more discreet settings.

The Auralee show offered casual tailoring (often styled with a smart tie) and the most luxurious suede jacket, while Lemaire continued to play with layering and refine familiar items such as the trench coat. The UK’s Paul Smith also swapped the runway for a more interactive format in which the brand’s eponymous founder talked guests through each item in its collection. “We give heritage fabrics new life by changing the weight and wash,” Smith said, pointing to a herringbone coat. These brands highlight Paris’s evolution into a hub of independent and international talent, not just heritage labels. They also raise an interesting point with their design approach: it might be time to stop thinking of fashion as entertainment and shift the focus back to the product.

A fleet of V-Bat drones is on its way to Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force. The country has bought an undisclosed number of the unmanned aerial vehicles from US start-up Shield AI, a defence firm founded in 2015 that is muscling into a sector dominated by legacy brands. The company’s drones have a single-engine propeller that allows for a vertical take-off and landing – ideal for launching from carriers and frigates.

V-Bat’s are programmed using Shield AI’s flagship product, Hivemind, an AI-piloting system that allows drones to navigate the battlefield without the aid of GPS, thereby guarding against the electronic-warfare methods that are used to knock many traditional drones out of the sky. “These drones are becoming ubiquitous for identifying threats and supporting military expeditions, and the purchase marks a positive step in Japan’s role as a leading US ally in the Pacific,” says Monocle’s security correspondent, Gorana Grgić. “For Shield AI, this is also a significant milestone, broadening its international market share.” The first shipment of V-Bats is due to be delivered later this year.

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