(Ottawa) Mary Simon, the Governor General of Canada, official representative of King Charles III and the first indigenous woman to hold this position, denounced Wednesday on the occasion of International Women’s Rights Day, the online hatred against them .
Appointed to this position in July 2021, this Inuit from Nunavik (northern Quebec), herself receives many comments and insults every day, criticizing her physical appearance or her origins, she said.
To support her cry of alarm, Mary Simon, 75, published an excerpt from the messages she receives, compiling them in a video on Instagram: “uninteresting piece of meat”, “look at this face, a real glutton ! “, or” so far from her reserve, and she takes advantage of it! “, can we read.
Citing in particular women in high-level positions, famous women, indigenous women and girls, those from ethnic minorities and LGBT+ people, the Governor General said that they receive “every day threats on the internet and social media, as well as in their daily lives.
Advocating for “safe digital spaces for all women,” Mme Simon pointed out that the latter are targeted by disinformation campaigns and particularly targeted by online attacks.
The former Indigenous rights activist also disagreed with those who say “women should just learn to put on a shell” and those who believe “online slurs are part of a woman’s job. public figure”.
“Such insults, uttered out loud, would be condemned,” she pointed out.
This is the second position taken by the Governor General on this subject in a few weeks.
In mid-February, Mary Simon announced her decision to close comment spaces on her social networks after noting “an increase in abusive, misogynistic and racist remarks” and “a significant increase in violent threats”.