Racist messages sent to Labour’s Dawn Butler after viral campaign video was reported to police

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A black politician has reported racist abuse following an election campaign video at the Metropolitan Police.

Labour’s Dawn Butler faced a barrage of abuse from online trolls after releasing a video of herself rapping to a version of So Solid Crew’s ’21 Seconds’.

The Labor candidate for the new constituency of Brent East, who has been an MP in Brent Central since 2015, recorded the segment to mark the 21 days remaining until the general election on July 4.

The independent understands two images of monkeys have been reported to the Met Police.

Ms Butler said: “The abuse black women suffer in public life is absolutely appalling.

“I can say from personal experience that if people just want a snippet of what it’s like, they can search for my regular ‘Block of the Week’ column on social media every Friday, which features horrific abuse.”

The “21 Seconds” clip was posted last Thursday, but she said further abuse this week via a message she posted on X, formerly Twitter, highlighted the problem.

Mrs. Butler spoke to The independent while charity Glitch is launching a campaign ahead of election day to tackle abuse against black women in politics.

Glitch Be safe online drive aims to raise awareness of digital “misogyny” – a term for misogyny combined with racism – by advocating for systemic change and sharing protection tools.

Chantelle Lunt, a Labor councilor in Merseyside, said online abuse has previously escalated to the point where people have come to her house and let the air out of her car tyres.

Her campaign in May’s local elections was met with vitriol and, she says, people questioned her fitness to run for public office based on her anti-racism work and unsubstantiated claims that she is not from the area.

“I am someone who talks about racism, the way the country and its institutions need to change for the better. It is as if that somehow makes me ineligible as a political candidate for some,” said the former police officer The independent.

As a result of the abuse, she limits comments on her online posts, maintains separate accounts and has ensured her address remains confidential on the council’s public records.

“While we are accountable to the public, we are also human and I don’t think it’s fair to have to deal with that pile of abuse all the time,” she said.

“Black women in politics are seen as easy targets… but that’s not talked about.

“It’s not something we get extra support with, but it is a big part of the conversation. We are not here to be abused, verbally abused, bullied or harassed.”

In his most recent research The Digital Misogynoir Report, Glitch analyzed nearly a million posts across five social media platforms and found that one in five posts about women are highly toxic, with Black women bearing the brunt of the most vile posts.

Amnesty International’s Toxic Twitter report, published in 2018, found that black women are 84 percent more likely than white women to be the target of offensive tweets.

Glitch expects online abuse to escalate in the run-up to the general election.

Seyi Akiwowo, founder and CEO of Glitch, said she set up the organization after experiencing “horrendous” online abuse during her tenure as a councilor in east London.

“Be Safe Online provides what I needed most as a Black woman in elected office: structured and unwavering support,” Ms. Akiwowo said.

“The vitriol faced by Black women in politics is undeniable and inexcusable; our campaign refuses to accept it as normal.”

Other black female politicians, such as Bell Ribeiro-Addy, have spoken out about the abuse they have faced. The Labor candidate for Clapham and Brixton Hill said this The independent in 2022, the threats made her afraid to do her job.

In 2021, a man was prosecuted after sending a stream of offensive messages to Black politician Florence Eshalomi.