Victims’ campaigner Ann Travers quits Twitter after sustained campaign of abuse from republican trolls

Ann Travers told the News Letter she is going to “take a break” from the social media network after sustaining recent months of abusive and insulting tweets directed at her.

Ms Travers’ sister Mary was murdered and her father, magistrate Tom Travers, seriously wounded when two IRA members opened fire on the family as they left mass at St Brigid’s church in south Belfast in April 1984.

The latest wave of abuse began last November after she tweeted criticism of a Christmas greetings tweet from ex-Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams, Ms Travers said.

“From then on it just built up and built up and has now reached a point where I need a break from it all,” she said.

Ms Travers said the abuse intensified over the last few months every time she took to the airwaves or social media to speak out for victims.

“I have had a lot of trolling and abusive comments over the years on Twitter. I have had people wishing I didn’t get shot in the head in ‘84 and killed when I was 14! Describing me as a celebrity victim. I’d rather have my sister than be advocating for victims.

“Back in November whenever I did a tweet regarding Gerry Adams’ Christmas video I started to get a lot of abuse again. It was like because I said something about Gerry Adams it was the most horrendous crime that you could possibly commit.

“Within this there was a group of about five people who would consistently come in and out and say horrible things. These five people have lied about me, they have said things that are abusive, cruel and said that I use my sister’s death for myself so that I can somehow get attention, which is insulting and nonsense.”

She said she then did an interview on the ‘Frank Mitchell Show’ on U105 radio after which “the same things came up about me always being on the programme”.

“Anytime I speak publicly they will write some horrendous trash about me and to be honest when this is happening at times I am tough and I can take it.

“At other times though it causes so much anxiety that I am sitting on the edge of my bed just crying or having nightmares about it or nightmares about people coming to do something to me. It makes me completely paranoid that people would know what I am doing because these people are so evil and I genuinely fear for not only my safety but that of my family.”

She added: “I have no doubt that once they read this, they will again state that I am a horrible person.”

Among the recent tweets about Ms Travers was one from a Co Down-based Twitter user who described her as “evil & wicked” and accused her of “trading on the tragedy of her poor sister’s murder & revelling in the attention it gains her. She would have been an ordinary uninteresting housewife if it were not for her poor sister & she enjoys every moment.”

The same individual also calls Ms Travers “the super victim” and a “foul cretin”.

Another troll describing themselves as ‘University Educated Uppity Fenian’ tweeted: “Anne Travers the verrucca of humanity.”