Racist posts sent to Labour’s Dawn Butler after viral campaign video reported

A black politician reported racist abuse received to the Metropolitan Police in response to an election campaign video.

Labor’s Dawn Butler faced a barrage of abuse from online trolls after she posted a video of herself rapping to So Solid Crew’s version of ’21 Seconds’.

The Labor Party candidate for the new Brent East constituency, who has been MP for Brent Central since 2015, recorded the clip to mark the fact that there are 21 days left until the general election scheduled for July 4.

Independent understands that two images of monkeys have been reported to the Met Police.

Ms Butler said: “The abuse suffered by black women in public life is absolutely appalling.

“I can say this from personal experience and if people just want a slice of what it’s like, they can look for my regular ‘Block of the Week’ post of horrific abuse every Friday on social media.”

The “21 Seconds” clip was posted last Thursday, but she said further abuse this week over a post she made on X, formerly Twitter, highlights the problem.

She talked to Mrs. Butler Independent as the charity Glitch launches a campaign ahead of Election Day to combat abuse of black women in politics.

Fault Stay safe on the Internet drive aims to raise awareness of digital “misogyny” – a term for misogyny combined with racism – by advocating for systemic change and sharing protective tools.

Chantelle Lunt, a Labor councilor for Merseyside, said online violence had already escalated to the point where people had come to her house and let the air out of her car tires.

Her campaign in the May local elections was met with fury and she says people questioned her ability to run for public office due to her anti-racist activism and unsubstantiated claims that she is not from the area.

“I am a person who talks about racism and how the country and institutions need to change for the better. It’s as if for some people this prevents me from running for political office,” said the former police officer Independent.

As a result of the abuse, she limits her ability to reply to her online posts, maintains separate accounts and ensures her address remains confidential on the council’s public register.

“While we should be accountable to society, we are also human and I don’t think it’s fair to constantly face such a wave of violence,” she said.

“Black women in politics are seen as easy targets… but it is not talked about.

“It’s not something that’s going to get us extra support, but it’s a big part of the conversation. We are not here to be insulted, shouted at, intimidated or harassed.”

In his latest research entitled Digital misogynoir report, Glitch analyzed nearly a million messages across five social media platforms and found that one in five posts about women is highly toxic, with the majority of the most disgusting messages coming from Black women.

Amnesty International’s 2018 Twitter Toxic report found that black women are 84% more likely to be targeted by offensive tweets than white women.

Glitch says he expects online abuse to escalate ahead of the general election.

Seyi Akivowo, founder and chief executive of Glitch, said she set up the organization after experiencing “terrible” online abuse during her tenure as a councilor in east London.

“Be Safe Online provided what I needed most as a Black woman holding elected office – organized and unwavering support,” said Ms. Akivowo.

“The abuse that Black women face in politics is undeniable and inexcusable; our campaign refuses to accept this as normal.”

Other black women politicians, such as Bell Ribeiro-Addy, have spoken out about the harassment they have faced. Said the Labor candidate for Clapham and Brixton Hill Independent in 2022, the threats made her afraid to do her job.

In 2021, a man appeared in court after sending a stream of offensive messages to black politician Florence Eshalomi.