London’s Muslim mayor among top targets of online abuse: Study

London’s Muslim Mayor Sadiq Khan and former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak were the biggest targets of online abuse during the UK’s recent general elections, a study has found. Among the abusive messages were racist slurs and attacks, University of Sheffield researchers found.

Khan and Sunak received the most abuse out of 14 politicians monitored as part of the study, The Guardian reported on Monday.

Of the 14, the five who received the most abuse were Khan, Sunak, current Prime Minister Keir Starmer, MP Diane Abbott and former Home Secretary Suella Braverman.

More than 6 percent of all responses to the five politicians between May 1 and July 30 were clearly abusive, totaling 85,000 posts.

The five received an “extraordinarily fast” response rate, the researchers said, with abusive replies to their posts appearing within one to two minutes of publication on average.

The study covered a range of abuse, from mild posts accusing the politicians of lying to personal attacks, racist and sexist language.

Researchers highlighted examples of racist abuse sent to Sunak and Khan, including being told to “go back to where they came from.”

The three issues most frequently used to send abusive messages were democracy, foreign affairs, and borders and immigration.

Researchers said: “Our analysis shows very clearly the ways in which people vent their anger at world events, such as the Israel-Hamas war, by lashing out at politicians as a way of finding someone to blame. We saw the same thing during the pandemic and events such as terrorist attacks.

“The sheer number and strength of racist comments toward politicians is terrifying in a supposedly tolerant country like the UK.

“While any politician needs to have a thick skin, those from racial minorities really need a suit of armour to survive the vicious racial attacks from those who do not support their views.”

The volume of abuse recorded by researchers saw a sharp uptick in June as election campaigning was in full swing.

Spikes were recorded in the days leading up to voting day on July 4, as well as following the first televised debate between Sunak and Starmer.