Sexist abuse is aimed at South West MP
AWESTCOUNTRY MP has revealed she was the victim of misogynistic sexist abuse while walking through a town in her constituency.
Selaine Saxby, the MP for North Devon, said the shouted comments were sadly typical of the kind of verbal attacks on women MPs.
“My male colleagues may get comments, but there is a particular level of spite and virulence in the way people treat many female MPs,” she said.
“I worry that the increased anonymous behaviour and language used online is making our society less tolerant, more prone to accepting that we can all be rude and hateful to whoever we want, particularly as we emerge from lockdown.”
Ms Saxby was walking through Barnstaple with Councillor John Hart, Devon County Council leader, when she received what she described as “unpleasant and misogynistic verbal abuse”.
She said: “An older gentleman hurled general abuse at Cllr Hart, saw me and asked me if ‘I had any knickers on.’ I do wonder whether he was interested in Cllr Hart’s underwear. This is sadly the kind of sexist abuse many female MPs are subjected to.” The matter is now being investigated by police.
Delivering an update to North Devon Council last week, Superintendent Toby Davies, local police authority commander for North and West Devon, confirmed that Ms Saxby had been subjected to “disgusting, expletive-ridden, misogynistic comments.”
Supt Davies said: “In the context of violence against women and perceptions around the safety of women who are out and about, it’s just completely unacceptable.”
Ms Saxby, who is also a North Devon Councillor for the Instow ward, said the incident was reflective of wider problems, adding: “Let me be clear, it’s not just Barnstaple where people do not always feel safe.
“There are alleys and corners across Devon that many of us are never quite sure about. It may be streetlights that have been out for months, blind spots in CCTV, or a group of people who are always hanging outside a particular place.”
She highlighted www.police.uk/ streetsafe, an online service launched by the Home Office where people can highlight locations where they feel unsafe.