Online abuse of Bermeo's mayor in Spain: misogyny or racism?

Online abuse of Bermeo's mayor: misogyny and racism on social media

The mayor of Bermeo, a member of EH Bildu, has become the target of a wave of degrading comments on internet forums. The attacks combine sens slurs with contemptuous references to her ethnic and religious background, a pattern that recurs in Basque politics whenever women hold high-profile positions.

The comments, unusually crude even by the standards of online anonymity, reduce the councillor to her looks and her status as a "sarracena", a term used as an insult. She is accused of "not trinc the Quran" or of having "escaped from the asylum", in a mix of Sarracinophobia and misogyny that goes far beyond political criticism.

Curiously, none of the attacks address her management of the town or her policies. The discussion focuses exclusively on her appearance, her clothing and her supposed sensual submission, revealing that opposition to her is not ideological but purely visceral.

Radiopatio, one of the few messages with any political content, points to the huge Palestinian flag in Bermeo's main square and her "transformation into a nekane" (a derogatory term for a Basque woman who embraces radical independence). But even that comment is tinged with contempt for her cultural conversion.

This dynamic is nothing new. Basque politics has seen female figures from the abertzale left subjected to especially cruel scrutiny online. However, the combination of racism and sens raises the tone to a level of degradation that should concern anyone watching the health of democracy.

To what extent does freedom of expression online become cover for harassment? And more importantly: how many women and people from ethnic minorities are deterred from entering politics after seeing this kind of reception?