Limerick councillor tells of trolling hell
A POLITICIAN who was abused in a WhatsApp group set up by Green TD Brian Leddin has revealed she is continuously subjected to vile comments from online trolls.
And Limerick Independent councillor Eliza O’Donovan said the level of abuse she receives gets worse the more she condemns them.
Ms Donovan told the Irish Mail on Sunday yesterday: ‘This week alone, I have been called “a real nasty bigot and bully supreme”, “a bigoted c***”, “a fraud” and “a scorned woman”.
‘It is coming from all kinds of people through different channels. The thing that I find most difficult is the salacious gossip. When people make up things about me that are just not true and put those online as fact. They publicly discuss my personality, the way that I look and make wild speculations about my private life.’
Ignoring the rumours is the only way to cope, she says, adding: ‘If you’re addressing it, you are giving it oxygen.’ Ms O’Donovan said the abuse is also damaging to people close to her. She told the MoS: ‘It’s like an emotional burden that you have to take on. It is just not fair.
‘If I am dating someone, for example, they have to hear all this stuff online about their girlfriend.’
The councillor was speaking a year after she was abused on a WhatsApp group created by Deputy Leddin, who called her ‘unhinged’ and accused her of ‘craving fame’.
‘When the story came out, I got contacted by women in all aspects of life, be it sports, business or civic life, and this is a common experience for them,’ she added.