Candidates Targeted With Death Threats Amid Surge In Online Abuse During 2024 Elections

Tuesday, 2 September 2025 16:51

By Martin Osborne

Coimisiún na Meán says the findings highlight serious concerns about the extent of online toxicity, and the potential to undermine democratic participation.

Over a fifth of candidates who used social media for campaigning in the 2024 local and general elections received online death threats or threats of serious harm.

Coimisiún na Meán says the findings highlight serious concerns about the extent of online toxicity, and the potential to undermine democratic participation.

The report released today found a combined 95 percent of candidates used social media during the elections.

59 per cent of General Election candidates reporting having a negative online experience, while the figure was 48 percent for Local Election participants.

False information to damage a candidates reputation was the most common form of abuse, followed by hurtful or degrading comments.

Immigration was the top reason candidates in both elections were targeted, followed by LGBTQ+ issues, and women’s issues.

Female candidates reported significantly higher rates of anxiety in both elections, while explicit or implied threats to the family members of both males and females represented a major source of anxiety and guilty for several candidates.

More from Local News

Kildare Woman Forced To Urinate In Car Park As TD Pushes Law For ‘No Wait’ Toilet Access

Audio

Speaking to Kfm, Kildare woman Maria Crowe, who lives with a painful bladder condition, has to use a toilet every thirty minutes, day and night.
Dublin Jersey Among Tributes To Ryan Weir Gibbons - Death “Unnecessary And Tragic” Says Priest

Items reflecting his life and personality were brought to the altar, including a Dublin GAA jersey, his wallet and phone, a baseball cap, a can of Monster, and a cigarette and lighter - with mourners told he loved a “sneaky cigarette”.
Three Decades Later, Search For Answers In Jo Jo Dullard Case Continues

Audio

Jo Jo was last seen in Moone on November 10th 1995, after missing her bus home and hitching lifts.
Kildare County Council Targets Unused Housing Sites With Planning Permission To Speed Up Construction

From mid-November, the Council will invite developers and landowners to put forward sites with planning permission for at least five homes.
EU Environment Commissioner Visits Kildare Farm Ahead Of Nitrates Derogation Talks

Jessika Roswall is in the country to assess how Irish farmers are managing stocking rates and environmental rules, ahead of a crucial EU decision that could see limits tightened further.
Defence Forces Conduct Readiness Exercise At Whitewater Shopping Centre In Newbridge

Previously, the Army's elite Ranger Wing has conducted training at the same location.
Call For Sanitary Bins In Men’s Toilets To Support Prostate Cancer Survivors

Audio

Each year, around 4000 men in Ireland are diagnosed with the disease, with research from PHS and the Irish Cancer Society finding more than half of men with incontinence feel anxious because of poor toilet facilities.
Own-Brand Foods Often Produced By Same Factories As Big Labels, Says Money Doctor John Lowe

Choosing own-brand products can also save money, with Lowe noting that many supermarket labels are produced by the same manufacturers as well-known brands.