Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon has said that election candidates are the subject of “rampant” online abuse, and has pointed to an increase in “vitriol and hatred” since Elon Musk took over Twitter in late 2022.
“The unfettered vitriol and hate which has dominated Twitter/X ever since billionaire Elon Musk took over is damaging our democracy,” he said.
The Dublin Central TD launched an audio-visual campaign called Sometimes You Are What You Say You Are where he highlights the most common insults hurled at him and his party.
An Instagram post revealed some of the insults, such as the party being referred to as “tote bag merchants,” comments about Gannon’s ginger hair (which he laughs off), the party advocating for “rebellious lefty ideas,” among others.
“Sometimes you are what they say you are. Sometimes, what’s intended to be abusive and offensive is often the opposite – the campaign’s six graphics are examples of bad-faith comments I’ve received online that I’m really quite happy with. They describe me well,” Gannon says.
Gannon said, “during the summer’s local elections, candidates from underrepresented backgrounds were consistently targeted and abused for being nothing other than themselves, and that abuse continues to flow unchecked.”
“This is a major issue facing many contesting the upcoming general election, and I fear this violent rhetoric has already spilled out onto the streets, presenting real threats for candidates.”
In the run-up to the local elections, female candidates such as Green councillor Janet Horner and independent councillor Tania Doyle were the subject of abuse and attacks from members of the public.
Horner was assaulted while putting up posters in Dublin 1 and was told “Dublin 1 belongs to the far-right”, while Doyle said he “feared for her life” after she and her husband were assaulted while canvassing in Ongar.
Social Democrats candidates in the North Inner City were threatened at knifepoint while putting up posters, with the party being referred to as “nazis”.
Fellow Dublin Central TD and Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said she was “drawing a line in the sand” after a man made death threats against her.
Gannon noted “the levels of abuse I receive are nothing in comparison to candidates who are women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, those of different ethnicities or religions, or other minorities in terms of the history of Irish politics.”
“During the locals, jibes often turned to insults, and insults often turned to threats, and those threats have not been taken seriously by the social media companies which platform them or by our Government, who must do more to compel these tech giants to treat online hatred and abuse with a zero-tolerance approach.”
“If we don’t see a crackdown, we’ll begin to lose the diverse voices which make Ireland the place that it is, the place that I’m proud to call my home.”
“Remember – sometimes you are what they say you are, when you’re proud to represent what gets under the skin of those who are filled with hatred,” he said.