SDLP Westminster candidate John Coyle broke down in tears as he opened up about the tirade of “hurtful and malicious abuse” that he has received following his appearance on television last week.

In an emotional interview with The Impartial Reporter, the 29 year old said the insults were a painful reminder of how he was bullied as a child and have left him doubting himself.

Some of the online commentators who watched him on ‘The View’ on BBC One, which was live from Belleek Pottery and also featured Sinn Fein’s Michelle Gildernew and the UUP’s Tom Elliott, poked fun at the way he looked and spoke.

“I had... erm... I had... great support from the councillors, MLAs and people within the party just to say ignore it. But in my heart of hearts... it’s not easy... to ignore,” said a tearful Mr. Coyle.

“I was hurt, badly hurt. There were comments that I would never say to anybody. It plays on your mind. Did I do something wrong on the show? I felt humiliated by the personal attacks. I am proud to be from Fermanagh, from the west. I can’t do anything about the way I speak,” he said.

The abusive comments and name-calling brought back hurtful memories for Mr. Coyle.

“When I was at school I wore glasses, I had a patch over my left eye because I had a lazy eye. I would have been called names, and left out of things. I was seven, eight years of age.

“When I was that age social media wasn’t as influential. You could leave wherever you were and go home and it [your home] was a refuge. It was a release to get away but now that social media is so prevalent it comes into your house through Facebook and Twitter,” he said.

It was the feeling of not being able to escape the remarks that upset Mr. Coyle when he returned home outside Belleek last Thursday night.

“I arrived home and the barrage of things started on Twitter. It was malicious... it wasn’t pleasant. What they said... it plays on your mind,” said Mr. Coyle, getting emotional.

“Everybody in my eyes is equal, there is nobody higher or lower than I. I have the brains, the personality to get things done. I am not going to change my personality for anybody. I am who I am. I am upset that people don’t know me were trying to undermine me, but with the support of my family, my colleagues, I will cope. I will survive,” he said.

Throughout the interview and through tears, Mr. Coyle hit out at the “bullies” and the “trolls” [people who deliberately harass others on the internet] and said: “Nobody should be bullied.” “You don’t get into politics to be insulted. You can attack me on political matters but as a person and a human being... I have feelings. We are not robots in the political world,” he said. Asked if he doubted himself following the reaction, he said: “Yeah.” Other commentators criticised Mr. Coyle for his responses to questions on the show, saying he was “out of his depth”, “weak” and “offered nothing to Fermanagh-south Tyrone.” Getting emotional again, Mr. Coyle said: “Erm... why I stood in this election was to give here a strong voice but it all came down to sectarianism. I don’t think young people want that any more, we have to move away from it. It is not us or them, it is just us.

“A video on ‘The View’ said a vote for me was a vote for the unionists. I want to provide a positive and strong voice for the constituency. I am a caring, loving person that tries their best to do what they can for everybody,” he said.

The accusation by some is that in standing in this election Mr. Coyle has been “thrown to the wolves” by the SDLP, a claim he firmly rejects.

“I have not been thrown to the wolves. They are in contact, they are responsible. I had phone calls from Mark H Durkan, Fearghal McKinney, Alasdair [McDonnell]. They were contacting me. It has made me more determined to carry on and do the best I can,” he said.

Mr. Coyle, who is also a member of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, has now pledged to do all that he can to stamp out cyber bullying.

“If there is a child or a young adult who is being bullied if I can give them inspiration to stand up for themselves then I am going to do that. I am setting up a meeting with NSPCC and Save the Children to get down to the bones of online bullying.

“I want to say to young people and children to please talk. If there is anything I can do to provide services to children being bullied I will do everything in my power to do that,” he said.

Listen to the emotional interview with John Coyle below:

listen to ‘John Coyle's emotional interview on internet bullies’ on audioBoom