Councillor condemns 'hurtful' online abuse

A councillor said she had decided to speak out about online abuse after receiving "incredibly hurtful" comments on social media.

Councillor Maxine Clark, a member of Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said she was bombarded with abuse after posting a picture on Facebook on Saturday.

The Hanford, Newstead and Trentham representative said the purpose of the post was to highlight a new speed-reduction initiative on Barlaston Road.

But she told BBC Radio Stoke that many of the responses were derogatory comments about her appearance.

"The comments on the post were incredibly hurtful and focused on the way I looked," she said.

Clark said they included someone asking her if she was "a bloke" and somebody wrote they would turn around if they saw her coming towards them.

"They have made me feel hurt and frustrated, especially because this is not the first time," she added. "Often, as a councillor, it can feel relentless online."

She said she chose to speak out about the issue as part of protecting her wellbeing and to highlight how digital environments could impact mental health.

"I feel more empowered about speaking out," she added, "but it was incredibly hurtful and frustrating because I did not want to lower myself to their standards by answering back."

Clark, who resigned from the Conservative Party in November and describes herself as an unaligned councillor, said it was important to speak out about it because she was not the only woman who has received abuse online.

She said people would often say it was her fault for being in the public eye, which highlighted the issue of victim blaming.

"For me it's about raising awareness," Clark added, "it's about giving people confidence to speak out".

"We want women and young ladies to go into politics yet what are we actually providing to support and protect them?"

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