There was widespread condemnation yesterday after Deputy Inna Gardiner shared a message referring to her as a ‘filthy NIMBY’ and stating ‘please die of Covid’.
Calls for action to be taken in Jersey follow moves to bring in new legislation in the UK after several footballers and other well-known figures received racist abuse and threatening messages online.
Colleagues rallied to support Deputy Gardiner, who confirmed she would be making a complaint to the police. Meanwhile Senator Sam Mézec criticised law officers for not prosecuting people who had abused him.
Calling the post addressed to Deputy Gardiner ‘disgraceful’, Senator Mézec said he had recently learned that there would be no criminal prosecution after he received ‘overtly threatening online communications which spilled over into a menacing in-person contact’.
The Reform Jersey leader said that in the light of his experience he saw ‘no hope’ of Deputy Gardiner’s report being taken seriously.
A spokesman for the Law Officers Department said the alleged abuse received by Senator Mézec ‘did not amount to a criminal offence in accordance with the evidential test under the code on the decision to prosecute’.
Deputy Gardiner said she had decided to share the message, which was sent to her on Wednesday evening in the wake of a St Helier Parish Assembly regarding the access route to the proposed Overdale hospital, in order to bring the matter into the open.
‘It’s unacceptable, and if we want to stop it, then we need to let the public see it,’ she said. ‘I don’t know if it is a real threat or comes from someone who needs help – there should be a clear process in place about how you deal with something like this and how people communicate with States Members.’
Senator Steve Pallett, interim leader of the newly formed Progress Party, said attacks had ‘ramped up in recent years’ and had to stop.
‘This sort of thing is putting people at risk both physically and mentally,’ he said. ‘It’s sometimes questioned why better candidates don’t put themselves forward, but why would anyone come forward if they are going to get abused and their family lives are going to be affected?
‘Everyone’s allowed their opinion, and some Members have suffered in silence, as if this is part of the job – but it’s not part of the job and needs to stop before someone does something that we would all regret.’
Former Infrastructure Minister Eddie Noel quit politics in 2018 and cited – in a JEP interview at the time – ‘personal and often anonymous attacks’ on social media as one of the main reasons for his decision.
Deputy Carina Alves, newly elected chair of the Privileges and Procedures Committee, said she feared the issue was under-reported and said unacceptable behaviour needed to be challenged.
‘We can all play our part in this when/if we see it happening to others,’ she said, adding that she would be discussing with her PPC colleagues about providing more support to members.’
Tessa Hartmann, one of the stars of the recent ITV series The Real Housewives of Jersey, said personal abuse reached a different level when it affected family members.
‘If we don’t start to talk about the effects of people’s mental states and how it goes against the grain of everything we are as human beings, then it is only going to get worse,’ she said. ‘That’s why I do think maybe we should be doing something about it in Jersey.
‘There has to be a line. I’ve seen our politicians get an awful lot of flak on social media platforms in Jersey and people threaten senior politicians.
‘One minute we’re talking about education in school, manners and building a community and the next minute you’ve got grown men and women having malicious conversations about people in a Facebook chat – it’s a very poor attitude. It’s only a small section but it’s a sad reflection of the community in Jersey.’
In the UK, Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden criticised social media companies for failing to tackle a ‘stream of horrific racist attacks’ and promised greater accountability through the forthcoming Online Safety Bill, including large fines for companies that failed to protect users.
The moves followed mounting concern at the level of abuse being directed at public figures, with footballer Marcus Rashford and referee Mike Dean among several targets.
