Lilian Seenoi Barr: Mayor subject to 'campaign of disinformation'
The leader of the SDLP has condemned a "deliberate campaign of disinformation and smearing" directed towards the mayor of Derry City and Strabane.Speaking on Wednesday, Claire Hanna said online abuse of Lilian Seenoi Barr in recent weeks had both "implied and very direct racist undertones".Hanna said the abuse comes after a man was jailed last month for posting abusive messages online toward Seenoi Barr.Seenoi Barr, who was born in Kenya and became the first black mayor in Northern Ireland last year, said the past week has been "deeply distressing".
She said she has reported the abuse to police and reassessed her security. In a statement, police said they received a report on 24 February in relation to online posts and commentary. "Enquiries are ongoing, and will continue to be reviewed to identify any potential offences," the police said.Derry City and Strabane area commander Ch Supt Gillian Kearney said the police will "continue to work with and support the mayor to ensure she feels safe in her workplace". "To that end, we are working with Derry City and Strabane District Council to provide reassurance," the senior officer added.
'Deeply distressing'
Lilian Seenoi Barr and Claire Hanna, flanked by party colleagues, addressed a press conference in Derry's Guildhall on Wednesday. "The past week has been deeply distressing seeing lies, disinformation and malicious attacks spread about me, simply because of my firm and reasoned commitment to fighting racism and injustice in our society," Seenoi Barr said. "I want to be very clear, I will not be deterred by name-calling, the smearing of my character and certainly not by online attacks by those who offer nothing constructive to society."The mayor said she has also been humbled by the support that she has received in the wake of "malicious smearing and lies".
She said the attacks are "rooted in prejudice" and believes she has been targeted because of her ethnicity and background. "I am a Maasai woman and a Derry Girl," she said. Seenoi Barr said she is proud to call Derry her home and that the abuse she has received will not deter her from her carrying out her duties as mayor.
"Whether people like it or not I have earned my position as mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council," she said. Seenoi Barr said such online attacks can deter people from ethnic minority backgrounds aspiring to hold public office "if serious action is not taken"."This is a city I am proud to represent and proud to call my home - it will not stand for division or racism." In a statement, Ch Supt Kearney said any abuse, harassment or criminality directed at our elected representatives "is totally unacceptable and will be thoroughly investigated"."We will continue to do all we can to ensure that our elected representatives are supported, and they can undertake their role free from abuse, harassment and intimidation," she added.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald Scotland
8 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Some Queer facts about the use of data
In Scotland, the issue is urgent as major institutions – including the Scottish Government's Chief Statistician and Police Scotland – are reviewing their approach to gender, sex and sexuality data. Other institutions, including NHS Scotland and public funding bodies, will soon likely follow. In April 2025, the Supreme Court ruled that "sex" in the 2010 Equality Act exclusively relates to "biological sex" or a person's sex at birth – forcing many organisations, which are required to record data for equalities monitoring, to rethink their approach to data. Over the past decade, anti-trans campaigners have also gained momentum, pushing to erase trans people from law, policy and data – most notably, a failed 2022 legal challenge against National Records of Scotland demanding a change in how trans people are counted in the national census. Against this backdrop, we have brought together 40 leading policymakers, researchers, community leaders and industry practitioners – from diverse sectoral backgrounds – all working with gender, sex and sexuality data. The purpose for the summit is not to instruct attendees how to collect this data – as approaches will differ according to sector and industry, depending on the topic being investigated. Instead, we hope to share common challenges, reflect on data experiences, and build dialogue and solidarity with people working across different roles and sectors. There's a lot more to gender, sex and sexuality data than the question "Who counts as a woman?" We want attendees to ask: what does numerical data not tell us when exploring the nuance of people's lives? What do you do with people who do not fit the boxes made available? Should we move away from always trying to "plug data gaps" and locate "missing data"? In 2022, Scotland's census reported that 4.0% of the population aged 16 and over identified as LGB+ and 0.4% identified as trans or as having a trans history. While the publication of these percentages was trailblazing – Scotland is one of very few countries in the world to ask about sexual orientation and trans/gender identity in the national census – they do not mean that data practices fully capture the diversity of people's experiences. Furthermore, collecting data about a community is only the first step – insights from this data then needs to inform action that impacts people's material, everyday lives. We hope that the summit sparks connections among attendees – whether working in government, tech, health or higher education – and encourages people to think beyond the checkbox when working with gender, sex and sexuality data. Dr Kevin Guyan is the Director of the University of Edinburgh's Gender + Sexuality Data Lab and author of Rainbow Trap: Queer Lives, Classifications and the Dangers of Inclusion (Bloomsbury Academic, 2025). Dr Chase Ledin is a Lecturer in Social Science and Medicine at the University of Edinburgh Medical School. Agenda is a column for outside contributors. Contact: agenda@
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Ballymena: Jim Allister rejects criticism over disorder comments
The MP who represents the Northern Ireland town where 15 police officers were injured in disorder described as "racist thuggery" has had his condemnation of the violence labelled as "insincere" and "weaselly".North Antrim MP Jim Allister said he "utterly repudiated" the criticism by fellow Northern Ireland MP Claire Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) leader said the violence in Ballymena, County Antrim, on Monday was wrong and unwarranted, but also said the "oversubscription of migrants" in that part of the town had led to broke out following an earlier peaceful protest over an alleged sexual assault in the town. Fresh protests are under way on Tuesday, with individuals gathered on the streets of Ballymena where there is a significant police Monday, petrol bombs and other missiles were thrown at police, and six homes attacked with four of them damaged by assembly member, Sian Mulholland, told the Northern Ireland Assembly that a family with three young children had to "barricade themselves into their attic". A number of businesses were also damaged, with windows and doors smashed.A 29-year-old man has been charged with riotous behaviour, disorderly behaviour, attempted criminal damage and resisting police described the actions as "racist thuggery" and indicated some people on Monday night were "clearly intent on violence". They added there would be a "significant" policing presence in the town in the coming days, including on Tuesday prime minister's official spokesman described the events in Ballymena as "very concerning".Earlier on Monday, two teenage boys appeared before Coleraine Magistrates' Court accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl in spoke through an interpreter in Romanian to confirm their names and solicitor said they would be denying the charges. What did Jim Allister say about the violence? Speaking on BBC Newsline, Jim Allister said his primary thoughts were with all who suffered in the violence but also the 14-year-girl who was the alleged victim of the sexual assault, and for whom "thousands gathered last night to show empathy"."My fear was, and it turned out to be true, that that vital demonstration of opposition to violence against women would be overwhelmed by a resort to violence by those who had other ideas and other agendas, and sadly that's what happened."He added that the underlying tensions had been "there for a long time in this particular part of Ballymena" because there was "an oversubscription of migrants who had been placed there", causing "tensions to rise to the surface"."In that sense, it was unsurprising but utterly unacceptable that there should be any resort to violence."When asked about what evidence he was drawing on, Allister said the last time he canvassed a street in the area with 50 houses, he came "upon five local, if I can call them that, residents of Ballymena".He added: "If you find a street where only five of fifty houses are occupied by local people, then I think there is an imbalance which is storing up trouble."Allister said that while some work and integrate, "many of them sadly have not integrated and have sought to pursue a lifestyle which is not compatible, in many ways, with what is expected in a town community such as Ballymena". South Belfast MP Claire Hanna responded by saying "some politicians are choosing to explain away" episodes of violence."We are hearing words of condemnation which are, at best insincere, and many people would describe as weaselly," the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) leader added."You can choose each day when you have a mandate and a platform to get up and try and solve problems or you can choose to exploit them, you can choose to try to calm tensions or you can try and fan them."In response, Allister said: "If Claire is trying to pretend that I am insincere in my condemnation of violence then I utterly repudiate and indeed resent that comment."He accused her comments of being "supercilious lectures from someone who thinks they are superior on these issues". What have other NI politicians said? Earlier, previous comments from Jim Allister on Monday, that there had been a demographic change due to "unfettered immigration" in the area, were criticised by Hanna's party colleague Matthew O'Toole, who said they were "deeply irresponsible".Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) assembly member Paul Frew said he had been warning about "rising tensions" in the area and those warnings have "now come true"."There is not justification for what happened," he added. "Violence is always wrong."Northern Ireland Justice Minister Naomi Long said she was appalled by the "disturbing scenes" while Sinn Féin's Philip McGuigan, who represents the North Antrim constituency, appealed for calm and urged political leaders to "use measured language".
ITV News
2 days ago
- ITV News
Environment Minister Andrew Muir sees ‘merit' in public inquiry into illegal Mobuoy dumping site
Environment Minister Andrew Muir has said he believes there is merit in holding a public inquiry into 'abhorrent' illegal dumping at the Mobuoy landfill site. Mr Muir told MLAs that the cost of fixing environmental damage caused at the Londonderry site could reach £700million. Two men were jailed last week for their roles in one of Europe's largest illegal dumps. Paul Doherty, 67, of Culmore Road, Londonderry, admitted seven charges between 2007 and 2013 relating to the contaminated Mobuoy dump at Campsie, outside Derry, and was sentenced to one year in prison. Co-defendant Gerard Farmer, 56, of Westlake in Derry, pleaded guilty to three charges between 2011 and 2013 and was jailed for 21 months. Mr Muir told the Assembly he shared public concern over the 'appalling situation' in Mobuoy and said he had approved the launch of a consultation on the draft remediation strategy. He said: 'Safeguarding public health, ensuring safe drinking water and reducing the environmental impact of the Mobuoy site is of paramount importance to me.' He added: 'There is no quick fix but I am committed to continuing to ensure that appropriate steps are taken to protect water quality and the environment during these processes.' He said to date he had been advised that there had been no adverse impact on the safety of drinking water being supplied from the River Faughan. SDLP MLA Mark Durkan said his party would support the remediation measures. He said: 'While focusing on the future we cannot just forget the past, how an environmental crime on an industrial scale was allowed to happen. 'This could cost the public and public services hundreds of millions of pounds to put right. 'Will the minister seek support from his Executive colleagues for a public inquiry into this scandal?' Mr Muir responded: 'This was an abhorrent crime on an industrial scale. 'I do believe there is merit for a public inquiry so I will be taking a paper to my Executive colleagues in regards to this. 'But the cost associated with the site is likely to be significant. This could cost up to £700 million to remediate this site. 'I will be looking to the UK Government, not just in terms of financial support in terms of any future public inquiry but also in terms of the remediation of the site. 'These are significant costs for us as an Executive to bear.' He said he would be engaging with Foyle MLAs and representatives from Derry and Strabane Council over the site. Mr Muir added: 'It is important we look to the past and understand lessons to be learned, but it is also important we look to the future and have remediation of this site.' Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know.
