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Harassment and abuse directed at our politicians is rising and becoming increasingly disturbing, while female MPs are at “significantly higher risk” of receiving threats of sexual violence, a university study shows.
The findings of the University of Otago study come from research into stalking, harassment, gendered abuse and violence towards politicians in the Covid-19 recovery era.
The research revealed 98 per cent of the 54 MPs surveyed reported experiencing harassment, 40 per cent said they were threatened with physical violence, 14 per cent with sexual violence and 19 per cent told the researchers threats were made against family members.
More than a quarter of the respondents, made up of 20 men and 34 women, said they had received death threats.
One MP said someone came to their office to try to stab them, while a different respondent said they were assaulted on the way to work. Another MP said their husband was physically attacked after someone launched at the politician in public.
“I have had security put up because I had abusive people turn up to threaten me, we’ve had graphic videos threatening ourselves and whānau,” the MP said.
The findings, however, come as no surprise to many in the political space.
Over the past few years, current and former MPs have become more vocal about the volume and nature of abuse sent their way.
Ex-Whangārei MP Emily Henderson spoke out about being targeted by “extremist” mobs, former foreign affairs minister Nanaia Mahuta called out a keyboard warrior who called her the “N-word”, and Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick has opened up about the abuse she’s copped.
Ex-Whangārei MP Emily Henderson spoke out about being targeted by “extremist” mobs. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Alarms were raised again when former Green MP Golriz Ghahraman was accused and pleaded guilty to shoplifting earlier this year.
This week, Luxon said there is more abuse and it is more challenging for people “coming in from outside”.
“That’s part of the consideration you have to make [when entering politics]. Every individual makes that, I’ve made that decision and I’m very comfortable about it.”
James Shaw was once assaulted outside the entrance to Wellington Botanic Gardens. Photo / Mark Mitchell
While Luxon said he does not talk publicly about the specific abuse politicians experience, they have made sure there is security in places where there are challenges.
“It’s pretty intense from day one and it gets more intense as you do take on the prime ministership. But again, we’ve got great people, a great security team. They do a great job and I feel personally very safe. Yes, there’s levels of abuse we deal with but I tend not to talk about it.”
Lead author professor Susanna Every-Palmer said most MPs reported experiencing abuse related to the Government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Many of them commented that the frequency and intensity of abuse increased markedly during the pandemic and had not subsequently abated.
“Disturbingly, women were at significantly higher risk of certain types of social media harassment including gendered abuse, sexualised comments, threat of sexual violence, and threats toward their family,” she said.
Finance Minister Nicola Willis with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. The PM has said gendered abuse is much worse for women working in politics. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Women MPs, in general, were more likely to experience feeling unsafe, with 69 per cent of female respondents reporting feeling fearful for their safety compared with 33 per cent of male respondents.
Almost all forms of harassment had increased significantly when compared with similar data collected in 2014.
Every-Palmer hopes the study provides politicians with permission to acknowledge the extent of the difficulties they may face.
“We expect that for some, this research will validate their experiences and confirm what they have been saying. We hope this means MPs will not downplay the significance and harm that arises from harassment – harassment occurs across the political spectrum and should not be politicised.”
The research sample size was too small to be able to consider ethnicity. However, a theme of the text responses from MPs was an increase in abuse that was overtly misogynistic and/or racist.
One respondent also said they were followed and had racial and homophobic comments yelled at them.
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said she was not surprised by the level of abuse reported by the survey respondents, “it’s been horrific”.
When asked about racial abuse, Ngarewa-Packer agreed it had gotten worse.
“I think sadly because of the polarisation, the way that politicking has been going, there hasn’t been a good discussion, there hasn’t been calm called by many leaders.
“What we saw post-Covid, post-Jacinda, post a whole lot of things, was a real attack on women.”
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer. Photo / Mark Mitchell
She said at times the party had reached out for support which resulted in “loose korero” with Parliamentary Services but nothing substantive.
“We’ve seen it with Marama [Davidson] and again, you know, try being a Māori woman, sticking up for ending violence and things that have been done on a global scale. It’s just a whole other intensity.
“How are we trying to encourage more diversity, more women, more who are proud of their heritage to come forward when we’re experiencing this?”
Co-author of the study, forensic psychiatrist Dr Justin Barry-Walsh, said the research demonstrates the damage that can be done by those who hold misogynistic attitudes and are willing to express them.
“It raises the spectre of erosion of our democracy by continuation of such harassment, particularly towards women MPs.”
He said the research highlights the importance of having a systematic and effective response to this issue, including the need to adapt to a changing threat landscape and possible legislative change.
“Having a cohesive approach to these threats is valuable, with the Parliamentary Service, police, and mental health organisations working together.”
However, he said it was not enough to simply monitor and report on the issue.
“MPs were clear that they and their staff require more support and resources to manage these threats. For new politicians, de-escalation, safety, and cybersecurity training should be part of the induction package, and resources made available to increase home and office security measures.”
Katie Harris is an Auckland-based journalist who covers social issues including sexual assault, workplace misconduct, crime and justice. She joined the Herald in 2020.
