Gabrielle McFadden: Abuse politicians receive 'is just not acceptable’

Gabrielle McFadden speaks from personal experience when she talks about the abuse politicians receive and she is adamant that politicians collectively, and people generally, should stand up to it and say this is not acceptable.

Gabrielle's political career ended with a loss in the Seanad elections in 2020 and she said this week that, while she misses it, and loved aspects of her time in politics, there were certainly aspects she didn't miss.

“It's a 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week job and the abuse and the keyboard warriors and that kind of thing, I do not miss that in any shape or form,” she said. “I think it's outrageous what's happening now to Simon Harris and to others.”

She added that she had received abuse while serving in politics, at every level – council, Dáil and Seanad. She received abuse in person and online, and recalls how one evening somebody had mistakenly posted on her social media page that they were logging off, but another person was coming on, and it was clear to her then that there was a co-ordinated approach to abusing her.

“Looking back on it, you feel you have to accept some of that because you are a politician and you put yourself out there, but you don't put your family out there and your family shouldn't have to go through that, and my family went through that,” said Gabrielle.

She said that, while her children are grown up now, she recalls one incident where she had collected them from school and stopped at a petrol station, when a woman stood in the middle of the road and shouted abuse at her, leaving her children terrified in the back of the car. “Nobody should have to put up with that, and nobody's children or family.”

She said as teenagers her children were aware of the abuse she received online. Gabrielle said she tried to block that out herself, and considered it something that came with the job.

“Hindsight is a great thing and you look back at it and you think your kids were the same as you, but actually when we talked about it in latter years when they were more adult, they would tell you that they were horrified and upset at the comments that were being made,” she said.

Gabrielle recalls her daughter saying to her that people didn't have to necessarily like her, but they didn't need to abuse her. “She said at the end of the day you were the one putting out our cereal bowls and our school uniforms and telling us have a lovely day and be nice to other kids while we're going out the door, and then at the same time you're getting abuse from people.”

Gabrielle said she believes the situation is now even more serious and getting worse by the minute.

“It's just not acceptable, and it's damaging Irish democracy and politics. We, as a nation, are very lucky that our politicians live in every corner of the country, and they're accessible,” she said, adding that she believes we risk losing this accessibility if something is not done to address the abuse politicians are receiving.

Gabrielle added that the abuse women receive tends to be more personal. “I didn't realise how awful it was until I came out the other side and I thought, 'Oh my God, life is so much nicer'. You don't have people sending horrific messages to you, you don't have people shouting at you in the street,” she said. “I think it's more vile and threatening now, by the sounds of things.”

She adds, however, that she wouldn't like to see this turning people off entering politics.

“I'd love for young people to consider that it's about public service, not self-service; that you can make a difference; that you don't need to sit back and wait for someone else to provide for you. If you have an opinion, or you feel strongly about your town, or you feel strongly about a topic, that you get involved,” she said.

"I don't think anyone should let the vocal minority stop them. We should, as a nation, stand up to it and say this is not acceptable. You don't have to like Simon Harris, you don't have to like his politics, but you have to say from a human side of things, from a family point of view, this is not acceptable.

“We should stand up to this because we do not want what is happening in the US. We don’t want to become extremist and we do not want to have our politics removed from us, and I feel very strongly about that.” said Gab.