Ottawa – Journalist Abigail Bimman has been on the receiving end of a vile, antisemitic campaign targeting her through her email as well as through social media platforms. The journalist took to her Twitter accounts to highlight the antisemitic nature of the messages she is being targeted with. It is not apparent what led to the attacks against their person, in particular. However, it is no surprise that the digital space has become hostile towards women journalists right after right wing politician Maxime Bernier tweeted a provocative message targeting the Canadian press community. The move that has historically led to journalists receiving hateful backlash from his support base.
Abigail took to Twitter to call out members of the community who believed that the campaign against her was not charged with antisemitic sentiments. She shared the screenshot of an email that was abusive in nature, targeting her faith as well as professional credibility. Mercedes Stephenson, who herself was targeted in a campaign of a similar nature, came out in support of her colleague acknowledging the overt antisemitism in the messages she received.
Last year, a similar act by the politician led to over 20 women journalists being targeted through an organized hate campaign. They came forward, sharing screenshots of the abuse they received as a result of Bernier unjustifiably instigating his support base against the press. The journalists work for different organizations and cover different beats, and have been solely targeted with vile racist and sexist rhetoric.
