Mayor target of majority of threats
Threats made against elected officials in Calgary were serious enough to report to corporate security or the police 86 times last year, including 65 that targeted Mayor Naheed Nenshi.
Between October, 2010, and April 15, 2017, a total of 360 threats made against members of council were reported to “corporate security and/or the Calgary Police Service,” according to numbers released by the city Wednesday.
The data shows 202 threats made against Nenshi have been reported since he was elected seven years ago, including 65 in 2016, 36 in 2015, 19 in 2014 and 16 in 2013.
“With the mayor, (the threats are) often to do with his race, and every one of us should be outraged,” said Ward 7 Coun. Druh Farrell. “It hurts us all that we can’t engage in political discourse without threats.”
Nenshi was not available for comment Wednesday.
The number of threats against all elected officials has increased 146 per cent since 2014, when 35 total threats were recorded. In 2015, 51 total threats were tallied, and last year, there were 86.
“We should be concerned,” said Ward 12 Coun. Shane Keating, who has received three threats since October, 2010, according to city data. “(Threats) are not part of any job, in any way, shape or form.”
A record 93 threats were made against elected officials in 2013, including 68 directed at Farrell, who said those include repeated threats from “a handful of individuals.”
“In some cases, one individual was responsible for multiple threats against specific members of council,” the city’s chief security officer, Owen Key, said in a news release Wednesday.
Councillors said social media has made it easier for people to abuse politicians in recent years while hiding behind anonymity on Facebook or Twitter.
“There’s a lot of anonymous people, especially on Twitter, that feel empowered being able to make threats without repercussions. It’s just the nature of the beast,” said Ward 10 Coun. Andre Chabot, who signed up for Twitter and said he’s found the service is frequented by trolls. “I tend to not respond to people who threaten and just block them, so I don’t have to deal with that any more,” he said.
Farrell, who has been on council for 16 years, said when she was first elected, politicians were able to have debate and disagreement without public outrage or threats.
“You can dislike me personally. You can dislike my decisions. You can dislike how I do my work, but it gives no one the right to threaten,” she said.