For weeks, a group of journalists, particularly journalists of color, have been publicly sharing a series of private, anonymous emails they’ve received. These emails contained specific, targeted and disturbing threats of violence and sexual assault, as well as racist and misogynistic language. “It was very insidious and the language around it was a perversion of some progressive language that was used to abuse and torture us. We were also told that we were put on a list of journalists to be silenced,” Erica Ifill, a columnist for The Hill Times and a podcast host, told CBC Radio’s The House for a segment that aired Saturday. Online harassment once again turned into an in-person encounter Friday when Freeland faced a blind man with verbal abuse during an incident in Grande Prairie, Alta. In a video widely circulated on social media, several people, one of whom is a videographer, can be seen approaching Freeland as she and several others walk through Grand Prairie City Hall toward an elevator. During the brief encounter, the man yells at Freeland, calling her a “traitor,” a “f—ing b—h” and telling her to get out of the province. The couple says to get away from others in the building and eventually exit to the parking lot. Freeland, who was born in Peace River, about 200 kilometers from Grande Prairie, was on a multi-day tour of Saskatchewan and Alberta, meeting officials, businessmen and workers. LISTEN | The House hears from journalists, activists, targeted by online harassment: CBC News: The House18:02 Toxic internet evil — what can fix it? The House is hearing from two journalists of color and an activist who have been the target of online harassment. Next, experts Emily Laidlaw and Yuan Stevens dig into what government legislation could do to stem the tide of online toxicity.
Harassment is condemned by politicians
The actions in the video were widely condemned by politicians and others across the country on Saturday. Conservative leadership candidate Jean Charest called it “gross bullying” and “dangerous behaviour” in a tweet. Former Liberal cabinet minister Catherine McKenna called it “beyond the pale”. Alberta Premier Jason Kenney called the incident “reprehensible,” and Conservative MP Dan Albas said, “What our vice president experienced yesterday has no place here in Canada.” Verbal harassment and threats against the minister If you disagree with a politician, by all means exercise your right to protest. But screaming threatening language & physical bullying crosses the line. —@jkenney In an interview with CBC News, Grande Prairie councilor Dylan Bressey said the meeting was “absolutely ridiculous.” “What we’re seeing across Canada — and our community is not immune — is that there are people who feel disenfranchised, they’re angry and they’re afraid, but they’re expressing it in completely inappropriate ways that don’t help anyone. “
Legislation only one piece of the puzzle: expert
Harassment has long been a problem for Canadians in public life, especially for women. McKenna, for example, was sometimes forced to have extra security because of the harassment she received, and many other MPs disclosed threats against them. One of the most extreme examples of online harassment took place in London, Ont. recently, when transgender activist and Twitch streamer Clara Sorrenti was forced to flee the country after a harassment campaign that included a case of ‘swatting’ – when a threat of violence sent under her name but unbeknownst to her led to armed police turning up at her door and they arrest her. London-based Clara Sorrenti, known as Keffals on the online platform Twitch, says she has faced repeated harassment and that even her family has been targeted, so she decided to leave Canada for a while. (Michelle Both/CBC) Ahead of the 2021 election, the federal government introduced legislation aimed at protecting Canadians from what it calls online harm, but that bill expired when the election was called and, after widespread criticism, the new legislation is back in consultation. Legislation governing how social media platforms deal with harmful content is only one piece of the puzzle when it comes to online harassment, said Emily Laidlaw, Canada Research Chair in Cybersecurity Law at the University of Calgary. Reforms to the legal system, education and other policy areas such as cyber security and privacy were also important, he told The House. “We need all kinds of different laws and social silences to deal with online harm and that’s actually what makes it so difficult,” Laidlaw said. Yuan Stevens, a lawyer specializing in human rights and technology, likened the issue to smoking, in which education and awareness led to both legal changes and a shift in public attitudes. “I think it’s going to take a holistic effort in Canada that’s not just ban this, ban that, punish,” she said, but instead an effort that addresses attitudes toward people of color, women, LGBTQ people and others and addresses key causes’ of harassment, threats and violence. Canadian journalists, politicians and others, particularly women, have been the target of high-profile and troubling incidents of harassment, threats and intimidation. (Manan Vatsyayana/AFP/Getty Images)
“It’s psychological warfare”
Ifill, a columnist for The Hill Times, described how the campaign against her and other journalists appeared targeted, expanding from a few people to a group of more than a dozen, many of whom are people of color. “Each email gets more complicated. They create scripts based on our past work to torture us,” Ifill told guest Ashley Burke. “It’s more than just an e-mail. It’s a concerted effort. It’s psychological warfare.” The pattern of harassment of journalists is incredibly disturbing and completely unacceptable. This type of behavior has no place in our society. No journalist should ever be threatened for doing their job. —@JustinTrudeau Raisa Patel, who previously worked with CBC News, including The House, was one of the journalists who spoke up for their colleagues and then received an email of her own. She told Burke that while the emails contained racism and misogyny, “A lot of us didn’t feel any reaction to that element in those emails because that’s what we’re used to getting as women and racist journalists. But what was of particular concern was the targeted nature of this campaign.” Journalists said they also struggled with police responses, including difficulty reporting the incidents in the first place and getting the police to take action. “It was very difficult to try to get the police to see the very coordinated nature of this campaign and some of the more serious threatening elements in it. Since we went public, I think that process has improved somewhat,” said Patel.
