Lilian Seenoi-Barr: Racist abuse won't put new Derry mayor off job – BBC News
A councillor who will become the first black mayor in Northern Ireland has said racist abuse will not put her off taking the role.
Lilian Seenoi-Barr, who was selected by the SDLP to be the next mayor of Derry and Strabane said she had received death threats.
On Sunday a 30-year-old-man was arrested in relation online threats, police said.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) is treating it as a racially-motivated hate crime.
He was arrested on suspicion of harassment, threats to kill and improper use of a public electronic communications network.
Ms Seenoi-Barr told BBC News NI's Sunday Politics the majority of the people in the area stood with her and the people of Derry had taken her "into their hearts".
"I think it has actually made me more determined, because we need to be represented, we need a more inclusive and progressive society," she said.
"It’s not about making history, but it is about delivering for the people and representing the people that elected me."
Ms Seenoi-Barr said her family "is feeling it more than myself".
"Since I put myself forward to represent my community, since I came to this country, I’ve been experiencing racism," she said.
"But obviously it’s beyond what I had been experiencing – the death threats have been extremely hurtful to my family and to myself too.
"But I’m more focused on the positives, I have had enormous support across the island."
The SDLP is set to change how it appoints "civil leadership" positions after two councillors resigned over the selection process.
United against racism
Ms Seenoi-Barr has been a councillor since 2021, when she was co-opted by the SDLP to the Derry and Strabane District Council's Foyleside ward before she retained her seat in last year's local elections.
Several Stormont politicians condemned the online racist abuse directed at Ms Seenoi-Barr, including SDLP leader Colum Eastwood.
Speaking on Friday, Mr Eastwood, who is also the Foyle MP, added: “This kind of stuff is allowed to happen actually because politicians do not mind their language.
“I think all of us have to be very careful about that, whether it’s on this island or whether it is in the government in London”.
He said it was important to stand united against racism.
“We will not be led into the gutter by far right activists whether they are coming from America, Dublin or Derry online,” he said.
by Portal_Jumper125
6 comments
Are the SDLP/BBC insinuating the recent resignations were because of racism?
Jfk. Her race has nothing to do with why people are against her being appointed mayor. It’s her complete ineptitude for the job.
This is pathetic.
ETA:
She has been a member of the SDLP for less than 2yrs. She was not an elected member of the party, and has never held any official political role since she arrived in Derry. She was “selected” for the role. That’s undemocratic and just not on.
Jason Barr and Shauna Cusack put themselves forward for the position, alongside Lilian. Both experienced, and elected, politicians were knocked back in favour of Lilian, who lacks any experience in local politics and whose community role amounts to limited engagement with NW migrants forum. Shauna in particular was first elected over a decade ago, with her CV boasting a number of effective cross sectional community projects.
While both Jason and Shauna are committed to the social and economical prospects of Derry, as well as bolstering communities, ngos and local charities, the only mission for Lilian is “to address racial profiling within policing”.
Derry is the most underfunded District in the 6 counties. We are buckling under austerity and stormont has only just got off its arse again. We need a mayor that will work for the whole community, inclusive of everyone, to help petition a better outcome for people. When asked to elaborate on actionable goals for her time in office, she said, “to fight for the most deprived, neglected but beautiful city in europe”. I mean, fuck off. That’s the most non committal nonsense I’ve heard, even from an SDLP councillor. Its also incredibly reductive to Derry. We are far from the most deprived city in europe. She is a one track pony when it comes to her activism. She is unable to offer anything meaningful on cross community relations, tackling paramilitarism in the city, nothing on environmental issues and even less on societal infrastructure. She is unable to demonstrate her understanding of the latest budget or how that translates into service provision here, let alone how she could positively influence how that money is allocated.
The response to her appointment isn’t racist. Her appointment itself is racist, in that she is being put into a role she’ll fail, because the optics are good. She is simply not experienced, qualified or even well acquinted enough with the issues faced by people here to do the job well. Her race or country of origin is neither here nor there. Her limited scope of activism and proficiency is the issue. Derry is a very politically and socially complex area, with a shit tonne of issues warranting immediate attention outside of racial inequity. In a land rife with discrimination based on who you were born to and where, bigotry and racism affects all of us to different degrees. Her ignorance of the nuances of northern irish politics, particularly when it comes to social inequity, is shameful for someone seeking to lead the city.
Shauna should have got the job. What exactly has Lilian ever achieved for Derry? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. She’s a clear ineptitude for the role afforded to her. As a community, we deserve a mayor who is much more switched on to the broad scope of issues that affect us here.
I knew something like this would occur, I said before the SDLP have painted an already present target all the larger on this woman’s back in the way they have placed her in this role for their own desperate cynical PR ends.
She definitely got the job because she is black, cause she is absolutely fucking useless
Why does she then proceed to race bait?
She akes completely false claims that black people ‘built this country” and have been completely “wiped out of the history of this country”
Making false claims like this only proceeds to put a target on herself
I do not for one minute condone the abuse she’s getting, it’s disgusting.
Moronic woke grifter. Get used to her crying about racism. That’s all she ever says, one note fuckwit that she is.