Who Is Amelia? The Purple-Haired Teen Becoming Viral Far-Right Meme

A fictional teenage character designed to educate young people about extremism has unexpectedly gone viral online, taking on a very different meaning than intended. What began as an educational tool has now become a meme linked to far-right ideology, spreading rapidly across social media platforms.

At first glance, Amelia—recognized by her purple bob haircut and pixie style—seems an unusual figure to become associated with far-right content. Over recent weeks, memes and AI-generated videos featuring the fictional British teen have circulated widely, particularly on X, depicting her drinking pints at the pub, reading Harry Potter, and traveling back in time to attend the famous Battles of Britain.

This portrayal is far from the intended educational purpose. Amelia was originally created for a computer game launched two years ago under the UK government’s anti-terrorism Prevent program. The game, titled “Pathways: Navigating Gaming, the Internet and Extremism,” was developed by Shout Out UK, a non-profit aiming to increase public understanding of politics.

The game’s goal was to teach young players about the risks of online radicalization. Players assume the role of a character named Charlie, who befriends Amelia at a new school. In the game, Amelia shares anti-immigrant views and misinformation, eventually inspiring Charlie to join extremist groups and attend protests.

The game was designed to be part of a broader educational package, not as a standalone experience, and received criticism for some weak logic in its scenarios. SOUK CEO Matteo Bergamini emphasized that Amelia’s appearance was not significant in the game’s original design.

However, experts note that a white, purple-haired character expressing far-right views inadvertently became a viral avatar for right-wing groups online. Siddhartha Venkataramakrishnan, an analyst at the Institute of Strategic Dialogue, explained that Amelia “meets a lot of standards for a group that tends to satirise and meme everything online,” reflecting stereotypes some far-right communities associate with the British government as anti-white and controlling.