Imelda May has opened up about the shocking number of ‘nasty’ messages she has received since releasing her poem ‘‘You Don’t Get to be Racist and Irish’.
Imelda, who released the powerful poem last year amid the Black Lives Matter movement of 2020, has said she has received ‘nasty’ and ‘scary’ messages in the 10 months following.
Chatting with the RTE Guide about the abuse she has been receiving, Imelda said:
“Since I wrote You Don’t Get to be Racist and Irish, I’ve had negativity daily for ten months”
“But what I’ve realised is that the people who give me that anger and hatred, seem to do that all day, to everybody, and I’d hate to live that life.”
Imelda’s poem explores the topic of Ireland and racism. In the piece, she puts forward the notion for Irish people being racist isn’t an option, as our background of oppression means we should have no choice but to be alies.
However, it seems that some people disagree with Imelda’s thoughts, to the point where the 46-year-old has been forced to notify the police of the abuse she has received via social media.
“Some of them have been really nasty and you get scared with the things some of them say, it can get really bad and you’re having to report it to the police, so that can rattle me,” she continued.
“But then other days I just think that they’re louder than the lovers. When I need the support, the lovers flow in.”