• Home
  • About us
  • Contact Us
  • Date/Time
  • Login
  • Subscribe

logo

  • Home
  • Politics
  • Economics & Finance
  • World
  • Arts & Books
  • Life
  • Science
  • Philosophy
  • Subscribe
  • Events
Home
  • Home
  • Blogs
  • Politics
  • Economics & Finance
  • World
  • Arts & Books
  • Life
  • Science
  • Philosophy
  • Subscribe
  • Events
  • Home
  • Life

What the evidence tells us about the sources of hateful online abuse

Coordinated misogynistic campaigns are prevalent across Europe. The solution lies in better regulation and cultural change

by Cécile Guerin / July 18, 2019 / Leave a comment
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin
  • Email

“@Anna_Soubry your gonna get the shock of your real unpleasant life when @brexitparty_uk smash u in the European elections!! You should be hung for treason.” “Piss off, you lying traitor!!!” These are only two examples of hundreds of tweets received by Change UK candidate Anna Soubry earlier this year.

Over three months in the lead up to the European elections, the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) monitored hateful speech on social media and in groups online. Our research showed far-right-led, concerted harassment campaigns against female politicians across Europe, including in the UK, where pro-Remain figures were particularly targeted.

In Britain, abuse against female politicians has crystallised around narratives of “Brexit betrayal” and “treason.”

The abuse is taking place both on mainstream social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, as well as less regulated fringe platforms like Gab and Minds, which have become havens for the far-right. Between April and May, Soubry received almost double the number of abusive messages on Twitter compared to her pro-Remain male counterpart Dominic Grieve. These included death threats and insults targeted at her appearance and gender. They rarely mention her policies. On the encrypted messaging application Telegram, we saw much the same.

ISD identified several coordinated campaigns by the far-right to humiliate female politicians across Europe. In Germany, trolls launched a coordinated effort against the leader of the Bavarian Greens, Katharina Schulze. Schulze also became a target internationally, with users on the transgressive message board 4chan sharing degrading memes.

But this is not just about viral videos. Worryingly, we have entered an age of generalised abuse against female politicians. Attacks previously confined to the dark corners of the internet and fringe far-right groups are becoming normalised, adopted by populist parties, and increasingly ordinary citizens.

The extent of this abuse represents a threat to democratic debate. As the treatment of Soubry outside parliament in January revealed, the online rhetoric can have real-world consequences.

We have seen this pattern emerging throughout Europe. In Spain, prominent female politicians experienced intimidation and harassment on the street, including Ines Arrimadas, lawyer and member of Congress for the Citizens Party in Catalonia. She found threatening graffiti painted outside her home by Catalan separatists.

These online and offline attacks affect female politicians’ ability to carry out their roles. It creates a culture of impunity when abuse goes unpunished. It can discourage women from entering politics, or cause them to leave…

YOU’VE HIT THE LIMIT

You have now reached your limit of 3 free articles in the last 30 days.
But don’t worry! You can get another 7 articles absolutely free, simply by entering your email address in the box below.

When you register we’ll also send you a free e-book—Writing with punch—which includes some of the finest writing from our archive of 22 years. And we’ll also send you a weekly newsletter with the best new ideas in politics and philosophy of culture, which you can of course unsubscribe from at any time







Prospect may process your personal information for our legitimate business purposes, to provide you with our newsletter, subscription offers and other relevant information.

Click to learn more about these interests and how we use your data. You will be able to object to this processing on the next page and in all our communications.

18278043015dee32869e86d7.61091857

Go to comments

Related articles

Why are so many left-wing men obsessed with trains?
Marie Le Conte / August 29, 2019
British railways might seem like a niche interest. So why are young men interested in...
I quit Twitter and it made me happier. So why have I gone back?
Cathy Rentzenbrink / July 17, 2019
Because Twitter is a microcosm for the big life questions
Share with friends
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin
  • Email

Comments

No comments yet

Prospect's free newsletter

The big ideas that are shaping our world—straight to your inbox. PLUS a free e-book and 7 articles of your choosing on the Prospect website.

Prospect may process your personal information for our legitimate business purposes, to provide you with our newsletter, subscription offers and other relevant information. Click here to learn more about these purposes and how we use your data. You will be able to opt-out of further contact on the next page and in all our communications.

This Month's Magazine

Perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus.

Inside the choice facing voters this General Election—and why the commission that regulates our democracy is struggling to keep up. Plus: Clive James on Wittgenstein, and the real story of Corbynism

Subscribe

Most Popular

  • Read
  • Commented

Is the G7 a dead parrot?

Yes, we should return the Elgin Marbles—and all the other spoils of colonialism

Don't compare Douglas Ford to Donald Trump

Brexiteers hoping that Australia will ride to the rescue are in for a nasty shock

Just how special is human existence? The answer could lie in multiverse theory

Ivan Rogers on Brexit: the worst is yet to come

3 Comments

John le Carré's post-Cold War vision is shot through with a sense of longing

2 Comments

How dare those signed up to hard Brexit lecture Labour on the economy?

2 Comments

Why the London result will decide the next General Election

1 Comments

The precarious success of the national minimum wage

1 Comments

About this author

Cécile Guerin
Cécile Guerin is a researcher at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) think tank in London
More by this author

Next Prospect events

  • Details

    Prospect Book Club - David Lammy

    London, 2020-03-19

  • Details

    Prospect Book Club - Jack Shenker

    2020-02-17

  • Details

    Prospect Book Club - Amelia Gentleman

    2020-01-27

See more events

Sponsored features

  • Delivering the UK's invisible infrastructure project

  • Future of Aid: the full report

  • A forest fund for the future

  • A new humanitarianism for the modern age

  • The future of sustainable economic development

PrimeTime

The magazine is owned and supported by the Resolution Group, as part of its not-for-profit, public interest activities.

Follow us
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google+
  • RSS

Editorial

Editor: Tom Clark
Deputy Editor: Steve Bloomfield
Managing Editor (Arts & Books): Sameer Rahim
Head of Digital: Stephanie Boland
Digital Assistant: Rebecca Liu
Production Editor & Designer: Chris Tilbury
Commissioning Editor: Alex Dean
Creative Director: Mike Turner
US Writer-at-Large: Sam Tanenhaus

Commercial

Commercial Director: Alex Stevenson
Head of Marketing: Paul Mortimer
Marketing and Circulation Executive: Susan Acan
Head of Events: Victoria Jackson
Events Project Manager: Nadine Prospere
Head of Advertising Sales: Adam Kinlan 020 3372 2934
Head of Key Accounts: Scott Smith 020 3372 2972
Senior Account Manager: Patrick Lappin 020 3372 2931

  • Home
  • Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Acceptable Use Policy
© Prospect Publishing Limited
×
Login
Login with your subscriber account:
You need a valid subscription to login.
I am
Remember Me


Forgotten password?

Or enter with social networking:
Login to post comments using social media accounts.
  • With Twitter
  • Connect
  • With Google +
×
Register Now

Register today and access any 7 articles on the Prospect’s website for FREE in the next 30 days..
PLUS find out about the big ideas that will shape our world—with Prospect’s FREE newsletter sent to your inbox. We'll even send you our e-book—Writing with punch—with some of the finest writing from the Prospect archive, at no extra cost!

Not Now, Thanks

Prospect may process your personal information for our legitimate business purposes, to provide you with our newsletter, subscription offers and other relevant information.

Click to learn more about these interests and how we use your data. You will be able to object to this processing on the next page and in all our communications.

×
You’ve got full access!

It looks like you are a Prospect subscriber.

Prospect subscribers have full access to all the great content on our website, including our entire archive.

If you do not know your login details, simply close this pop-up and click 'Login' on the black bar at the top of the screen, then click 'Forgotten password?', enter your email address and press 'Submit'. Your password will then be emailed to you.

Thank you for your support of Prospect and we hope that you enjoy everything the site has to offer.

This site uses cookies to improve the user experience. By using this site, you agree that we can set and use these cookies. For more details on the cookies we use and how to manage them, see our Privacy and Cookie Policy.