Fermanagh South Tyrone MLA targeted by trolls two weeks into job

DUP MLA Mrs. Deborah Erskine said: “I don’t look at the comments on social media, but in the last week I was made aware that there were comments made on my appearance which have nothing to do with who I am as a politician and it shouldn’t come into it, those things are really vile.

“I think social media giants have to play a role in dialling down the rhetoric because we have faceless trolls on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram that are attacking our politicians.”

Abuse of politicians

Mrs. Erskine made these comments while speaking to this newspaper on the abuse politicians face in the wake of the brutal murder of Sir David Amess MP during a constituency surgery in Essex last Friday.

The PSNI have been liaising with local representatives in Fermanagh South Tyrone regarding their personal safety in the wake of Mr Amess’s death.

Mrs. Erskine said: “Locally we have been contacted by the police just to make sure we have the right security measures in place and we are watching ourselves, but things like that [the killing of an MP] bring it all home.”

“Behind this [political life] there are families which are naturally worried, but at the same time it doesn’t deter from the work we are doing. There is that balancing act but there are some people out there who want to strike at the heart of democracy.”

Mrs. Erskine made note of a “level of abuse” that local representatives receive. She said: “There is a level of abuse that you do get through the phone lines, which is unprecedented as a result of Covid but there is a duty of care to staff in the offices.”

READ MORE: Erskine plans to raise Fermanagh South Tyrone issues at Stormont

Threats made

Threats made against politicians can be deconstructive in attracting new people into politics, Mrs Erskine said: “There is a level of abuse that can stop good people from becoming politicians because they are worried about the threats and they are worried about the abuse, they see it and they worry about the level of threats made about politicians in the public sphere.”

Mrs. Erskine told this newspaper when she considered taking on the role of MLA she had to make considerations regarding her family seeing threats and abuse against her.

Grateful

Mrs. Erskine was grateful for the swift action of the PSNI, she said: “I want to thank the police locally because they have been in contact with all the Fermanagh South Tyrone representatives and making sure there levels of security are okay and to get in contact if we are worried about our personal safety.”

Fermanagh South Tyrone Sinn Féín MLA Jemma Dolan released a statement to this newspaper on the same issue, and said: “We have always been and continue to be very cognisant of the security of our elected representatives and staff. It is widely known that we, as a party, have suffered a history of attacks on our elected representatives and staff. The party keeps this security under review on an ongoing basis and we take the appropriate precautions for safety when necessary.”

Reaching out

Speaking on behalf of the PSNI, Acting Assistant Chief Constable Melanie Jones said: “As in every force across the UK, Police Service of Northern Ireland officers have with immediate effect begun reaching out to local Northern Ireland MPs as part of Operation Bridger.

“Op Bridger provides tactical options for protective physical security to Members of Parliament in their homes and constituencies and is managed by the Parliamentary Liaison and Investigation Team (PLaIT). The PLAIT was formed in September 2016 by the MPs following the murder of MP Jo Cox and is part of the Met’s Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command.

“We are in the process of contacting our local MLAs and will continue to support them by providing crime prevention and personal security advice on an ongoing basis.

“We encourage all our elected representatives to immediately report any security concerns to police in order to keep themselves, their staff and members of the public attending surgeries safe.”