Mayor, SDLP councillor, Lilian Seenoi-Barr speaking at a press conference in the Guildhall, on Wednesday afternoon, on the recent racist abuse directed at her and the wider issue of racism.
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00:00Okay, folks, thank you for coming here today. I'm standing here as leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party with my colleagues, with this city's mayor and our friend, Lillian Bard,
00:21to talk about, in the strongest possible terms, the very deliberate campaign of disinformation and smear that's been directed at Lillian over recent weeks.
00:31Folks, a man is in jail at the moment due to the severity and remorselessness of some of the campaign directed at Lillian, but unfortunately that hasn't been the end of it.
00:44From rumour and innuendo and very direct attack, Lillian has experienced misinformation and fairly constant abuse online, often with an implied and very direct racist undertone.
01:00This isn't, of course, a phenomenon that is unique to this city or unique to this region. Across the world, we are seeing an uptick in both disinformation and, I suppose, attempts to sow dissent and hatred against particular people.
01:18This obviously has an impact on Lillian's ability to do her job, a job she has earned and has conducted with dignity and with flair and with success, but it affects her ability to live her life now and in the period after she ceases to be the Lord Mayor.
01:35But it has wider democratic impacts as well in terms of our ability to bring a wider range of people into public life in political positions across this city, across this region and across the world.
01:48So we are hoping that, as they have done, the people of this city, who I think have supported democratic norms and their mayor and decent politics, that all people, particularly all political leaders, will stand with us and with Lillian as we call out this campaign and ask for their solidarity and their support in addressing it wherever they find it.
02:12I'm going to hand over to Lillian who will set out the impact this has been having on her life.
02:18I'm going to make a statement and then I will let the questions be answered by my party leader.
02:24The past week has been deeply distressing, seeing lies, disinformation and malicious attacks spread about me, simply because of my firm and resolute commitment to fighting racism and injustice in our society has been incredibly disheartening.
02:41However, I have been humbled by the support of so many people who reached out to me directly, distancing themselves from such harmful rhetoric and reassuring me that those misinformed individuals do not represent more people in our city and beyond.
03:00I fully accept stepping forward as a political leader. You will be criticised and you will be scrutinised. That comes with a job.
03:09But what I will not accept and what our society should never accept is the malicious smearing of people's character and the spread of lies simply because of personal dislike or political disagreement.
03:25Every one of us in this council was elected in 2023. Every single member received a clear mandate from the people of this city. That mandate includes the right to be considered for positions of leadership.
03:40And whether some people like it or not, I believe I earned this position of being Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District. I am both humbled and grateful for the opportunity given by my party to represent the city I love.
03:55Since taking up this position, I have given it my all. I have worked tirelessly to represent every single member of this community with dignity, to showcase the very best of Derry and Strabane and to live with hope.
04:10I remain committed to pushing forward for growth and prosperity. And let me be very clear, I will not be deterred, not by name calling, not by the smearing of my character and certainly not by online attacks from those who offer nothing constructive to this society.
04:30But the response we have seen to holding people accountable for their threatening and dangerous behaviour, including issuing death threats, has been appalling. And this issue goes far beyond me as an individual.
04:47It speaks a broader reality faced by people of colour in this country. We know some will never accept people like me, a black person, whether born here or not, holding strategic political office. That is an unfortunate reality that we must face.
05:05But while I acknowledge this, we must never accept disrespect, defamation and malicious lies rooted in prejudice. If political parties and the entire Northern Ireland Executive are serious about inclusion and encouraging the full participation of people of colour and other minoritised communities in public life, then real action must follow.
05:31Our hate crime legislation urgently needs to be updated to offer strong protection against targeted attacks like this. And when these attacks happen, we must respond, not just with words of solidarity, but with concrete actions through the justice system.
05:50The time for talking is over. It is time for real action. And I will leave you with this. I am a Maasai woman and a Derry girl. That combination speaks of resilience, it speaks of determination and unwavering commitment to push forward, knowing that this city I represent, a city I am proud to call my home, will not stand for division or racism. Thank you.
06:20CHAIRMAN LIEBREICH Just for clarification, is the malicious scenario that has been alluded to, has that followed the Maas conviction and jailing? Has that been continuing?
06:32MS O'BRIEN Yes, it has indeed. I think it was initially a number of posts and remarks were made about the severity of the sentence and how Lillian was to blame for that, and I suppose bringing in other bits of information about various other parts of the judicial system for which Lillian is not responsible, obviously, and I suppose a barrage of specific allegations,
06:58and then I suppose picked up from that comments on all sorts of posts on all sorts of issues about Lillian, as I say, spreading misinformation and making very direct references based on her characteristics, being a woman, being a black woman and being an immigrant.
07:14CHAIRMAN LIEBREICH And of course she was following the wider issue about this being almost endemic across Northern Ireland.
07:32MS O'BRIEN Yes, it is absolutely not a political dynamic unique to this city or this region, but unfortunately Lillian's name, Lillian's image, misinformation about Lillian is being spread, not just in Derry, not just across Ireland and Northern Ireland, but across the world on sites for people who fetishise hate.
07:58So that has implications for Lillian's life, for her safety, for her future and as I say for the ability to attract people from all sorts of backgrounds to make that leap into representation of their community.
08:10CHAIRMAN LIEBREICH Madam Mayor, what sort of effect has it had on you personally?
08:14MS O'BRIEN It has been a very difficult time for me obviously, I have to do my job as Mayor of this city and district, but that doesn't mean I'm not a human being, it has affected the way I look at society, but mostly the way I perform my duties.
08:32I have to be looking behind my back rather than actually focusing on the work that I need to do for my city and this is why we have come out today, because it has to be called out, we cannot ignore the fact that the impact is not just about me, it will be about any other person who wants to go out there and represent their city and this has to stop.
08:54CHAIRMAN LIEBREICH Lillian do you think that your personal safety is under threat now? How scared are you by all this abuse?
09:02MS O'BRIEN I want to believe that the city has got my back, I've got every single person who knows about security here including the PSNI, they are all aware of what is going on and they are giving me a lot of support.
09:14I don't want to create a situation where there will be fear for others, but I do believe that we need to step up in safeguarding minority communities in this city and district and also beyond, because it's not just about what is happening here, it's whatever is happening across the world that is having an impact here and we have to call it out but also push back.
09:37CHAIRMAN LIEBREICH Have these tests been reported to the PSNI?
10:07MS O'BRIEN I think it's something that we need to raise on quietly by and be glad it's not them. It is something and as I say in many cases it is clearly politically motivated because of Lillian's politics or characteristics but we think it's something that across the political spectrum people need to stand up, challenge where they see it and accept and be clear that it won't be tolerated.
10:27CHAIRMAN LIEBREICH What's your thoughts and feelings, you're having this press conference today for Lillian on behalf of the CHPC, we know that there is anti-immigration marches planned for Derry and for Belfast, I suppose in the backdrop of all of this, how does it feel and what is your message to people who are planning to take part?
10:44MS O'BRIEN It's very worrying, particularly as I say for people from minority backgrounds who many of whom have had terrifying experiences last summer and an uptick of race hate and as I say very, very targeted race hate, so we hope the response is similar to what it was for many communities last August where people said very clearly that these are anti-racist, anti-fascist cities and towns and regions that we have, that we stand up.
11:13We stand up for diversity, we stand up for decent public services and we demand decent public services in the allocation of education and health and housing and all of the things that people feel are scarce but that people regardless of their skin colour, regardless of their background must be treated with dignity and safety and the SAP will be carrying that message forward at any opportunity and we know many, many others will as well.
11:39We know that as the dominant politics of that region which is why when it starts with a smear and with misinformation it needs to be addressed very directly.
11:50Q. Would you encourage people from ethnic minorities to put themselves forward for election despite what's going on with yourself?
12:21I am standing here to send a very clear message that we are not backing down.
12:26Q. Can I just ask, have you increased measures around your own personal safety in light of these threats?
12:57A lot of people are getting attacked, they are being harassed and it has to stop. So this is not just about me, it is about our whole community and we know that the majority of people in the north of Ireland are the good people and they have welcomed us here.
13:12This is why I am the City Mayor, that is because of the welcome nature of everyone in this society, but that small group, organised group of individuals who just want to cause division and harm to people of colour, we have to deal with it.
13:30Q. What is the latest in terms of the party review and are you aware of fresh allegations in the press in recent days? What do you know about them, what can you say about them if anything?
13:47You will be aware that I am here to stand and address this very serious issue. The SDLP is continuing to investigate. We have sought with sensitivity any information about other claims. We have asked for that and that will form part of an internal investigation.
14:05Brian, as you know, is no longer an SDLP councillor, but that is ongoing and it wouldn't be appropriate for me to give a comment on that.