Being an emotional punching bag for troll abuse isn’t in Valérie Plante’s job description

Being an emotional punching bag for troll abuse isn’t in Valérie Plante’s job description

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante has every right to shut down comments on Twitter after systematically being targeted for years with sexist vitriol and slurs that offer no constructive criticism of her administration.

There are many avenues for her constituents (and opposition parties) to still communicate with her, including other social media platforms and even on Twitter — by tagging her or sharing her posts with their own message. People’s freedom of speech remains intact.

Willingly remaining an emotional punching bag for abuse from online trolls isn’t part of Mayor Plante’s job description. She, too, has a right to protect her mental health.

Depuis des mois, les commentaires sur X sont dominés par les insultes, au point où j’ai décidé de fermer cette section.

Certains peuvent croire qu’il existe un droit fondamental à traiter une personne de « conne » ou de « bitch » et à normaliser la violence en ligne. Ce n’est… pic.twitter.com/vJBHgxV0sd

— Valérie Plante (@Val_Plante) September 11, 2024

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