The murder of Labour MP Jo Cox in 2016 shone a light on how social media hate towards female politicians can spill over into horrific acts of violence.
In Scotland, Holyrood magazine contacted all 59 sitting female MSPs and, of those that responded, three-quarters said they had suffered a torrent of hate online.
Labour's education spokeswoman Pam Duncan-Glancy said the hateful comments towards her had been "utterly relentless", noting she has been called a "poisoned dwarf", "witch" and "lying c***".
Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie described social media as a "sewer" and said the problem of abuse was "worse for female politicians".
Conservative MSP Annie Wells told the magazine she had been told she would be "set alight".
Alba MSP Ash Regan expressed concern that abuse of female politicians had become "more socially acceptable" and risked being "left ignored".
Of those female MSPs standing again in the 2026 Holyrood election, about three-quarters also said they expected hateful content to increase between now and then. Some MSPs told the magazine that they had considered stepping down because of online abuse.
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In Scotland, Holyrood magazine contacted all 59 sitting female MSPs and, of those that responded, three-quarters said they had suffered a torrent of hate online.
Labour's education spokeswoman Pam Duncan-Glancy said the hateful comments towards her had been "utterly relentless", noting she has been called a "poisoned dwarf", "witch" and "lying c***".
Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie described social media as a "sewer" and said the problem of abuse was "worse for female politicians".
Conservative MSP Annie Wells told the magazine she had been told she would be "set alight".
Alba MSP Ash Regan expressed concern that abuse of female politicians had become "more socially acceptable" and risked being "left ignored".
Of those female MSPs standing again in the 2026 Holyrood election, about three-quarters also said they expected hateful content to increase between now and then. Some MSPs told the magazine that they had considered stepping down because of online abuse.
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Daily Record (Digital) - 1 Issue, March 14, 2025