Leader of the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom (UK), Kemi Badenoch, has opened up about personal attacks she endured from British racists for becoming the first black woman to lead the Party, describing the scale of the abuse as “hysterical”.
Badenoch, who had previously praised Britain as the best place in the world for black people, told the Sunday Times she had not expected the level of hostility since her election.
According to her, the attacks she receives from fellow MPs is minimal compared to abuse hurled at her by racists on social media who target her because of her race and ethnicity.
She said: “There’s a certain cadre of people who clearly can’t cope with the fact that I won this and I’m doing it. The level of personal attacks from anonymous people, it’s hysterical. Not even just from MPs. I actually don’t think it’s that many MPs. I think it’s two to three people out of 120. That’s nothing. But online as well. People used to talk about Trump derangement syndrome. I think there’s a Kemi derangement syndrome: ‘How could she possibly have done this?’.”
Badenoch said the racists on social believed she couldn’t have achieved the current status all by her self, “there’s a lot of ethno-nationalism creeping up, lots of stuff about my race and my ethnicity and the tropes around, ‘well, she couldn’t possibly have done this all by herself’.”
SummitPost reports that Badenoch, who was born in Wimbledon but grew up in Nigeria before moving back to the UK aged 16, had earlier said she is not really Nigerian by national identity while only choosing to identify with her Yoruba tribe.
“I always try to think of every possible explanation before I go to race and racism. I think that is a healthy way to run a society. I remember when I stood up a few years ago and said Britain is not a racist country – ethnic minorities do very well here, it is white working-class boys who are actually struggling on a lot of metrics, and I got pilloried for that.
“My view is that there are people out there who will say whatever it is, they will throw whatever kind of mud at you and they will hope that it sticks,” She told the Sunday Times.
Badenoch, who is also a Member of Parliament (MP) for North West Essex, now faces a defining period as party leader, countered speculation of a challenge and possible replacement by her shadow justice secretary, Robert Jenrick.
“I think it’s wishful thinking. There will always be people who are sore losers, our candidate didn’t win, and so on, and sour grapes … When I hear those things, I can tell those people are not focused on the country at all. Many of those people having those conversations think this is a game. But the lives of people in this country aren’t a game,” Badenoch added.