Mary Lou McDonald calls on supporters to stop social media ‘trolling’

TDs have previously called on Ms McDonald to call out ‘trolling’ on social media platforms such as Twitter with accounts that identify as Sinn Féin supporters.

“I would call on everybody — I don’t care who they are or who they support or who they think is right or wrong — just stop it,” said Ms McDonald.

“There is a way to have a civil conversation and disagreement as well and a quite strong disagreement without resorting to being abusive.

“It’s not on, whoever it comes from, anybody who is engaged in that, should stop,” she said.

Ms McDonald said she also has received online abuse.

And by the way, nobody engaging in those kinds of tactics ever wins an argument. It doesn’t impress or convince anyone.

“I think, increasingly, people see that type of behaviour online as very, very cheap and unacceptable to be honest with you including people in Sinn Féin.

“Many of us who are targets for it as well, no more than anyone else,” she added.

In 2020, Sinn Féin said “good riddance” to a social media troll who was forced to resign from the party.

A Sinn Féin member had used false social media profiles to abuse businessmen, politicians, and celebrities, including a Fianna Fáil senator and a local businessman.

That same year, it emerged that Sinn Féin’s social media guidelines warned members against “naivety” and how to avoid “trolls”.

The ‘guidelines for activists’ warned members not to “get caught into an endless and pointless debate with someone whose view you are not going to change in a million years”.

The guidelines suggested checking the profile of the person with whom they were engaging for trolls as they “will be there to goad you — to try and get you to drop your guard and say something inappropriate out of anger or frustration. Don’t fall for it!”