Social Democrat election candidate, progressive activist, and podcaster Linda Hayden has issued an apology following the discovery of divisive tweets she had sent.
Speaking of the tweets Hayden said that “I wasn’t always a good person…I was an asshole who had no exposure to people of colour or the Travelling community”, but added she was “not the person I was 9 years ago. I apologise to my Traveller and BIPOC siblings.”
I expect these tweets to be laughed off as just jokes, as historic and previous to joining the @socdems.
"This is not who I am as a person…I'm on a journey…I was bitten by a racist spider while on holidays in Donegal…"
The question of vetting of candidates remains. pic.twitter.com/W3fz6LaOxk
— Newsworthy_ie (@newsworthy_ie) March 10, 2021
Hayden stopped short of calling her comments racist, instead saying “if I deserve to be cancelled for being a thick, then so be it.” She did, however, accept she had caused “hurt and pain to BIPOC and Traveller people.”
Hayden later issued an apology for her “a bit cack handed” initial apology, saying “I did not mean to exclude the Black community when I said I had no exposure to POC.”
Hayden recently issued an apology to broadcaster Ciara Kelly over false statements she had made about the presenter. Shortly after posting the apology Hayden liked tweets calling the broadcaster “a ghoul”, a “gowl”, etc, including one which read “I’m sorry but she’s still a fucking gowl and we know the truth.”
Hayden ran as the Social Democrat candidate in the Kildare South constituency in the 2020 General Election, garnering 2.38% of first preference votes.
We have reached out to the Social Democrats for comment but had not, at time of publication, received one.