"Knowing when not to succumb to that urge, exercising due diligence before passing on material that is flatly false or offensive, is an indispensable skill for politicians in the digital age. Or it should be. It is a test failed by Simon Evans, a Reform UK councillor and deputy leader on Lancashire council."
"Women, in particular, are subjected to a relentless, venomous barrage. This is frightening for the targets and distressing for their families. It is a disincentive to anyone considering running for office. Being prepared to withstand abuse and death threats should not be the qualifying threshold for a career in politics."
"It is not safe to assume any threat is idle. Two MPs—one Labour, one Conservative—have been murdered with political motive in the past decade. In June 2016, Labour's Jo Cox was shot and stabbed by a far-right fanatic who, when asked to identity himself in court, said his name was death to traitors, freedom for Britain."
Social media has created a dangerous environment where politicians frequently share unverified or inflammatory content without adequate scrutiny. Reform UK councillor Simon Evans shared a fabricated quote falsely attributing anti-protection statements to Labour MP Natalie Fleet, accompanied by violent rhetoric calling for her death. While Evans claimed ignorance of the violent comment and apologized, the incident highlights a broader crisis: women politicians face relentless online abuse and death threats that discourage democratic participation. Recent history demonstrates these threats are not idle—Jo Cox was murdered in 2016 and David Amess in 2021, both by politically motivated attackers. Politicians must prioritize factual accuracy and recognize that aggressive digital language carries real-world consequences for public safety.
#social-media-responsibility #political-violence-and-threats #misinformation #women-in-politics #digital-civility
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]