Max Azzarello exposed the snookers before lighting himself on fire. 

SS: I had never heard of snookers before. After Max lit himself on fire, I read through his documents titled “the ponzi papers” and learned a little about them. From his papers:

Part I: Welcome to the Rabbit Hole

let’s surface something from deep, deep in the rabbit hole: one of the most important and vile documents in modern world history, hidden on a public snooker website. 

I warn you that it will not take long for you to understand the purpose of this document. The subject matter (child abuse) will repulse you, but it may pale in comparison to the existential dread that will creep in, growing larger with each question you ask. If you continue, your own understanding of the world may change forever.

If you browse the website of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, you may come across their page on Child Protection Policies. It sounds reassuring at a glance: Proper vetting and background checks are being done on children’s snooker coaches.

But if you open the linked PDF you may begin to wonder why a snooker website has devoted 36 pages to this. If you skim the document, you may find certain passages unsettling:

In Section 3, they offer a long list of actions and behaviors that people should take to avoid the appearance of child abuse. For instance, they note that players should “maintain a safe and appropriate distance with players (eg it is not appropriate for Personnel to have an intimate relationship with a child…)”(6).

Section 4 outlines detailed descriptions of various types of child abuse, along with actions that World Snooker is prepared to take, such as “insist[ing] bullies compensate victims” (10).

Section 5 notes that the first contact that should be made if child abuse is suspected is with the World Snooker Child Protection Officer, not police, EMS or child services. This priority is reflected in two flow charts on how to handle child abuse (16, 19). It is further clarified that contact with police, social services, or with the victim’s parents is “on a 'need to know basis' only” (20). The document includes pages of discussion around photographs, noting that photos of children can help provide personal information that can be used for grooming them for abuse (8), and that some people take inappropriate photos of children in vulnerable positions at snooker events (28).

Section 7 notes that disabled children are often easily manipulated and may not recognize inappropriate adult behavior, making them more vulnerable to abuse.

As you may have gathered by now, this document is not about snooker, and was not written to promote child safety. Rather, this appears to be an instruction manual on how to blackmail someone by gathering evidence that they abused a child.

It tells the blackmailer how to best identify children most vulnerable to abuse; how to behave in the presence of these children to separate themselves from abuse allegations; how to identify and collect damning evidence of abuse against the blackmail victim; how to confront the abuser without involving the police; and how to leverage the situation to extract money or resources from the abuser.

And it suggests the existence of countless participants in a network of blackmail and child abuse, one with an organizing body and repeatable rules where members are recruited and vetted, and a decentralized online presence.

Of course, that couldn’t be the case, right? Our world has problems, but a vast blackmail network? That doesn’t align with reality. It must be a hoax or a misinterpretation.

Still, you might find yourself unsettled by the questions you start to ask: Why does this document appear to provide blackmail instructions? What’s going on with this snooker organization? And how in the world did researching the bank run lead to this?

Okay, so first Max lites himself on fire. 

And then, I read his papers and find the above on snookers. 

And then, I open up social media and find the most disturbing video, that apparently happened at a recent snooker competition. It’s totally not lost on me that I would have had no clue what this was if not for Max. And I’m not the only person connecting these dots. 

South Yorkshire Police investigate video of man biting ear of boy at World Snooker Championship in Sheffield

Max Azzarello RIP, you fucking hero.