Online abuse in campaign left candidates 'bruised'

Some incoming deputies said they felt "bruised" and "exhausted" following a campaign that saw online abuse levelled at them.

Deputy-Elect Jayne Ozanne said she was "quite used" to online trolling but found it had been more "personal" in Guernsey.

Deputy Sasha Kazantseva-Miller said she faced untrue allegations early on in the election that came as a "real shock" to her.

She said: "I think it had a real effect on me because they were allegations that were completely unfounded and bordering [on] libel really."

Kazantseva-Miller added: "It hits you hard because politics is personal and they were very personal allegations.

"It has an effect on you and it has an effect on your family as well, so it was a difficult time for me.

"My children saw me quite upset but I think I was quite lucky to have people supporting me, not just my friends and family but the wider network that rallied round me."

Before being elected deputy for the first time, Jayne Ozanne also faced online criticism, which she labelled "horrible, untrue and unnecessary".

"I just had to turn social media off because I just couldn't cope with it, but obviously we are in the middle [of a campaign] you've got to get back on the horse.

"I thank God that we've got this beautiful island so I've been out swimming and trying to take in those, what I call, life-changing views."

Sarah Hansmann Rouxel, who was elected in the general election, had some of her campaign posters vandalised.

"It was upsetting," she said.

"You put all the effort in of getting something put up but it's part of the process. I don't condone it but you've just got to get on with things."

Ms Hansmann Rouxel was first elected in 2016 and also ran in 2020 but was not returned.

"I think last time, running as an incumbent, I think there was a lot more negativity but also people were spending a lot more time on social media because it was post-lockdown," she said.

"This time round there hasn't been as much noise online, people generally don't act the same in public so the kind of vitriol that you experience isn't really happening this time around."

An international survey, done in 2024, showed that of 160 politicians asked about the state of mental wellbeing, 41% said theirs was low.

That was more than police officers and ambulance workers who were also surveyed.

Kazantseva-Miller said she would back moves for more mental health support for deputies.

"As politicians we get no support, not only for our physical and mental well-being, but we don't have support as parliamentarians," she said.

"I do think that if we want our politicians to be the best they can be for our community, it is something we should actually be looking more carefully after them."

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