Mixed race couple vilified by racists after they appeared in Lidl ads in Ireland flee their home to start new life in Britain
- Fiona Ryan, 33, and fiance Jonathan Mathis, 32, appeared in ads from September
- The couple had been living in Country Meath, Ireland, since last year
- One of the prominent provocateurs was former journalist Gemma O’Doherty
A mixed race couple who were vilified by racists after they appeared in Lidl ads have been forced to flee their Irish home to start new life in Britain.
Fiona Ryan, 33, and her fiance Jonathan Mathis, 32, from Country Meath, Ireland, had appeared in campaigns for the supermarket chain across the country from early September.
They featured in the ads with their 22-month-old son Jonah.
Fiona Ryan, 33, and her fiance Jonathan Mathis, 32, had appeared in ad campaigns for the supermarket chain from across the country from early September
The couple, from Country Meath, Ireland, featured in the ads with their 22-month-old son Jonah
But the family’s inclusion in the ads was met with racist remarks and even death threats towards their toddler.
Some members of the public were even calling for a boycott of Lidl in reaction to their appearance.
The couple have since decided to flee to Britain in the face of the backlash.
Speaking to RTE’s Late Late Show on Friday, Ms Ryan said: ‘They are talking about harming and death to my partner and my child so I am not going to stay in a country [where] this is allowed.’
Ms Ryan is from Ireland originally and is an actor.
She moved to London when she was 19, which is where he met her construction-worker fiance, before the pair moved back to Ireland to start a family.
Mr Mathis grew up in Liverpool, and then the Costwolds, after moving from Brazil as a child.
He added that he was upset and angry that: ‘These people are looking at my child and saying all this hurtful stuff. He’s a completely innocent child.’
One of the most prominent provocateurs was former journalist Gemma O’Doherty.
In a tweet that was posted alongside a billboard featuring the mixed-race family, she wrote: ‘German dump @lidl_ireland gaslighting the Irish people with their multicultural version of “The Ryans”.
‘Kidding no-one! Resist the Great Replacement wherever you can by giving this kip a wide berth. #ShopIrish #BuyIrish.’
Her post was met with a flurry of racist comments with other social media users making reference to ‘race and ancestor betrayal’.
Ms O’Doherty’s tweet has since been deleted and she later labelled reports on her abuse targeting the ad as ‘fake news’ and ‘hysteria’.
The supermarket were then forced to issue their own tweet in defense of the couple.
Posting on their Irish account, they said: ‘After offensive and racist tweets from Gemma O’Doherty we have decided to block and report her to @Twitter.
‘We are proud of our multicultural & diverse team and our customers. We are proud to work with, and serve, each and every one of them.
The Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar also condemned the abuse
‘Everyone is welcome in our store.
‘We are contacting the Ryan family regarding this online abuse and will be providing support after this unprovoked attack. We thank everyone for their kind words.’
The Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar also condemned the abuse.
He branded the social media attacks on the couple as ‘disgusting’.
The couple have since criticised Ireland’s police force, the Garda, for how they have handled the situation.
The police reportedly asked them to read through the abusive tweets themselves to collect evidence and were then told that it was a civil matter.
Ms Ryan previously said that they did not harbour any ill-will towards Ms O’Doherty as she has done them a favour by highlighting a weakness in hate crime legislation in Ireland.
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