Alison O'Connor: What are we going to do about increased threats to public figures?

No money is worth putting up with this sort of abuse and potential danger

Social Democrat TD Holly Cairns has revealed how she was left ‘absolutely terrified’ after a man repeatedly showed up at her home.

What’s going to be done about this? Not next week, or next month or by the end of the year. But now. Do we really want something truly awful to happen first where we go around afterwards saying: “It’s a terrible pity something wasn’t done.”

The issue at hand is the appalling abuse suffered by female politicians — the true details of which have emerged in all their awfulness in the past week. They point clearly towards a risk of something terrible happening to one of our elected representatives unless action is taken and fast.

We had the bags of animal excrement thrown at a public meeting at junior minister Anne Rabbitte and Fine Gael TD Ciaran Cannon.

Last Saturday an article in The Irish Times began like this: "A bullet shell left at the back door. A long lens over the garden wall. A letter that says: 'You have a nice little body', with an extremely detailed description of the sexual acts the author wants to perform.  A letter that says: 'I have a picture of you stuck on my bedroom wall', which is defiled.  A voice note sent on WhatsApp that says: 'I’m going to piss on you'.  Pictures of body parts: male, female, animals. Online messages that say: 'You are a bitch, a tramp, a whore.' A nine-year campaign of online abuse."

Some of the above, stated the article on abuse suffered by TDs and senators, was what one female TD describes as “the usual”. All of them had made reports to gardaí in the past. Some have CCTV at their homes, as well as extra locks, including on their bedroom doors.

On Wednesday, Cork South West TD Holly Cairns — one of the five who had spoken anonymously for the article — bravely spoke to Virgin Media’s The Group Chat podcast, of her absolute terror after a man, who had been messaging her over months repeatedly, turned up at her home.

She also spoke of the sexual nature of abusive comments sent to her online and by post — including being sent clippings from pornography featuring other women named ‘Holly’.

The Social Democrat TD said the abuse became “worse and worse” over time and An Garda Síochána have advised her not to have a constituency clinic due to safety concerns — the meat and drink of a TD’s work, especially a rural one — or advertise her location.

Just like other female TDs with similar experiences, she has avoided talking about the level of abuse she has experienced up until now out of fear it will draw more issues and that it may deter women from entering politics.

Of course, it also affects male politicians as well. Fine Gael junior minister Neale Richmond also featured concerning online abuse and threats he has received. 

This week Fine Gael senator Micheal Carrigy, in a victim impact statement in a court case, described the sleepless nights after a “faceless” tirade of online social media abuse ended with threats to sterilise his children. A man has pleaded guilty and will be sentenced in May.

So what’s being done?

Not a hell of a lot in terms of a co-ordinated, transparent, easily accessed manner from what I could discover. 

Asked what action the Oireachtas is taking, a spokeswoman said the Ceann Comhairle Sean O Fearghail is particularly conscious of it and has engaged with the Garda Commissioner.

There is ongoing engagement with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform on an additional allowance towards home and constituency office security. They have also engaged with Twitter and Facebook on advice for politicians on how best to approach the online world.

But when does the responsibility of the Oireachtas authorities end — is it once the politician walks out the gate of Leinster House?

In many ways, they are seen as solo operators once they are in their constituency. If they are a party member what responsibility lies with the party for their safety? What structures do parties have in place — supports? Of course, An Garda also have a significant responsibility.

The Labour Party runs a resilience training course for women making them aware of the supports within the party and also how to handle social media.

“Unfortunately, this is a fact of life if you put yourself forward as a candidate ... A lot of it is providing that solidarity so that women know it is not just them, that there is a commonality right across with the threatened violence and sexual explicitness. Men do get it but it is different,” explained Labour party general secretary Billie Sparks.

Duty of care

She says you have to be honest with prospective candidates: "You don’t want to be traumatised six months down the road. There is a duty of care."

Just last week female Labour politicians reported a man, working his way through phone numbers on the party website, ringing each one and being abusive.

Fine Gael has employed a diversity, equality, and inclusion officer and a candidate development manager. The party says both roles work actively to develop and deliver training on dignity and respect, personal safety, digital well-being, and resilience.

As part of actively supporting politicians who experience harassment or abuse the party is developing a bespoke digital self-defence, digital self-care, and online active bystander training and toolkit to equip all elected representatives and aspirant candidates.

Senator Fiona O'Loughlin: 'The bile and the hate was horrific.' Picture: PA

At the last meeting of the Oireachtas Women’s Caucus, before Christmas, there was “a pretty open conversation” in relation to abuse, according to Senator Fiona O’Loughlin, chair of the Caucus, which has members across the Dáil and Seanad.

In her own case, her house has been broken into twice in the last year. The Kildare politician does not think there was any politician motivation but adds “that does figure in your thinking when it happens”.

A couple of years ago, when there was a particular controversy concerning mother and baby homes, she was targeted. 

I was actually nervous of going home. The bile and the hate was horrific. It was a very frightening time.

"A friend of mine had been looking at the threats online and rang to tell me to be very careful. My address was out there and worse still my mother’s address. I almost didn’t go home. In the event nothing happened but I was very nervous”.

Two of her siblings, she said, are particularly concerned for her safety, especially her younger brother who was in the UK when Jo Cox was murdered.

Asked is it worse for women politicians, Senator O’Loughlin believes undoubtedly so and especially on social media. A former Fianna Fáil TD, she came home one day to find excrement pushed through her letter box when she was a councillor.

“I remember crying and scrubbing the letter box and throwing away the mat. Your address is on the ballot paper so people know where you live," she said.

Does Senator O’Loughlin believe male Oireachtas colleagues understand what is going on or show much empathy?

“I heard it said on a radio discussion on this during the week that male colleagues need to show more empathy. I laughed. They probably think we are whiney when we talk about it,” she said.

What’s to be done here? In truth, no money would pay you to put up with this sort of abuse and potential danger.

There is a real danger that something serious is going to happen if the situation is not properly addressed by political parties, the Oireachtas authorities, the gardaí, and operators of social media platforms.

But also simply by the public, many of whom seem to have forgotten the very basic fact that politicians are human too and while elected by the voters they are answerable to them, not owned by them.