||The words of our enemies, the silence of our friends..

(Note: I don't usually write content for LinkedIn but some recent events have prompted me to speak out. This article would have no meaning without making clear the words I am referring to, I have disguised them as best I can so I hope that no one will take offence. Anyway, here goes. Feedback welcome)

Last week my local paper, The Meath Chronicle, ran an opinion piece, "Free speech does not mean freedom to share hate". It referenced plans to introduce legislation that would make hate speech a criminal offence. It noted that the Minister for Justice, local TD Helen McEntee, intends to guide through this important piece of legislation as part of wider proposals to combat racism and bigotry. The Chronicle also posted the piece on their social media pages.

This was followed, with tiresome inevitability, by the usual onslaught from the keyboard warriors. Most of their invective was the standard unimaginative stuff, "I hate this government, all politicians are useless (except the ones that agree with me). And now this one is telling me I can't even criticise her, well she can f*** off, it's a disgrace.. (Joe!!)". It’s page 1 of the standard playbook for these warriors, there is no page 2. But, of course, it didn’t stop there.

This is not just about Minister McEntee and it’s not the first time that she has been in the firing line. Late last year came the happy news that she is expecting her first baby. A lovely time for her and her husband. And then after Christmas it was reported that she had contracted Covid. A worrying time for them. Given her high public profile and the local angle the paper thought this was of interest to their readers and posted both stories.

These reports attracted the usual spectrum of responses. Mostly they were kind, from women and men wishing her well and urging her to take care. Others were of the “so what” variety and suggested that this wasn’t news at all, thousands of women had Covid and many of them were pregnant, why is Minister McEntee any different? A bit uncharitable maybe but if that’s what you think then it’s fair enough comment. Other comments were the usual “whataboutery”, not personal or abusive but nothing to do with the stories at all. Legislation on hate speech won’t stop you saying any of that, why would it?

 Some comments, of course, quickly crossed the line from legitimate criticism into personal abuse and one in particular prompted me to write this piece. It was from a man who said “good, I’m glad she has Covid, I hope it’s serious, f*** her, she’s only a c*** anyway”. What? Really? That’s what you want to say? And you actually thought about that and typed it out and posted it in the comments section of the local paper for everyone to see? With your name on it? Wow..!

 It seems that the "C" word has now become the” insult du jour” of the inarticulate when attacking women.

 Maybe people could ask themselves a question or two before posting words to personally abuse someone online.

If I met that politician by herself in the street would I say this to her face? If she was accompanied by her mother, her sister or her husband would I use that word? Or, and maybe this is the most important one, if I met her when I was with MY mother, my girlfriend, my wife or sister would I say that word out loud to insult another woman? No? Thought not. So here’s a suggestion, don’t post it.

I could list any amount of women who are subjected to this or worse on social media. Labour TD and former Tanaiste, Joan Burton suffered more than most. Education Minister Norma Foley is getting it at the moment and from the start has been the subject of abuse about her appearance and dress sense. MaryLou McDonald and her counterpart in Northern Ireland, Michelle O’Neill, get the same abuse about personal appearance as does Arlene Foster. Dublin Mayor Hazel Chu and my local Councillor Yemi Adenuga get it with a hefty dollop of racism thrown in for good measure. I’m sure Senator Eileen Flynn had to endure this stuff all her life. There are hundreds, thousands, more.

In the same edition of The Chronicle, Virgin Media’s Gavan Reilly, who contributes a weekly column, wrote a piece in which he drew comparisons between the Trump fans on Capitol Hill two weeks ago and the daily mob outside the Dail gates. The people who, when they're not getting arrested down at the High Court, spend their days shouting abuse at everyone that goes in and out of Leinster House.

Gavan made the point that these people live in an echo chamber. Other than typing stuff on social media, spouting gibberish from the corner stool in the local pub or standing in their gardens at night howling at the moon they only talk to people who think and act like they do. Everyone else is the enemy.

This sounds like harmless stuff, but it could easily become the thin end of a nasty wedge. Is it a big step from shouting at the Dail gate that all TDs are traitors and should be killed to something more sinister? Like maybe driving around the country targeting people who are “not like us and shouldn’t be here” and posting videos on social media as they harangue and spout their racism and hate.

 And the most annoying thing? These guys usually have the word “patriot” somewhere in their profile and the tricolour as an emoji. This, of course, is meant to give the impression that they are the real Irish and the rest of us and those they attack and insult are not. But that’s a bigger debate for a different day.

Anyway, back to the subject at hand. A local journalist told me recently that he has to think twice before publishing any article that names certain politicians. That’s any article, on any subject, any issue big or small, local or national, good news or bad.

Why think twice? Well the mere mention of certain names is enough to set off the abusive posts. And for him that’s a problem because he also knows that the reputation of his newspaper is on the line if he doesn’t deal with it and delete these comments as soon as they are posted. It’s a waste of his time and scarce resources but it has to be done. And he won’t be intimidated into not reporting the news. His paper does a very good job, I don’t envy their task.

So should we call this out when we see it? Or should we dismiss it as the actions of a few morons and just ignore it. I suggest it’s somewhere in between. I am certainly not suggesting that we pursue these people down the rabbit holes and into the echo chambers in which they live. Those cesspits are only inhabited by people who think and talk like they do and all you will get is more abuse and then you become a target.

The social media feeds of local and national media are a different issue though as are pages and people that we choose to follow and talk to. Yes, we must call it out when we see it there. In fairness most of the media organisations do a pretty good job of moderating their own pages but unfortunately not all and even those that do can’t get everything. So yes, challenge it, put it up to them. If we all ignore it all the time and leave it to others then not only will it keep happening but, bit by bit, word by word, it will become normalised.

There are more than 170,000 words in current use in the English language and I'm sure with a small bit of research they could find an alternative, wittier and far more effective, articulate and imaginative way to express their discontent.

If they can’t then I respectfully suggest that this is more about themselves and their inadequacies. We get one life and to waste it in an incestuous and hate filled echo chamber in pursuit of likes and clicks from those you know agree with you is sad. But ultimately it is their life and their choice. Just don’t encourage it, even with silence.

The Chronicle opinion piece concluded that while the suppression of free speech can never be supported the acceptance of hate speech can never be tolerated. I absolutely agree.

In not calling it out I am reminded of the words of Martin Luther King:

“In the end we will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends”.