Political

Conservative MP accused of bullying a “vulnerable adult” with “many health issues”

The Conservative MP for Yeovil, Marcus Fysh, has been accused of bullying the moderator of a local online forum with threats of legal action. Fysh claims that defamatory posts were made about him on the forum but despite a sequence of requests to explain what he is referring to, Marcus Fysh has refused to identify any such posts according to the messages published by the local newspaper.

The moderator, who described herself in a message to the MP complaining about his behaviour as a “vulnerable adult and have many health issues”, has continued to receive messages from Marcus Fysh, including one accusing her of inciting criminal damage – again without providing any evidence for the claim.

As the local paper says:

The mother-of-two says that despite the pair exchanging several messages, she still does not know what posts Mr Fysh feels defamed him…

Ms Rooney says that Mr Fysh’s behaviour had made her feel “upset, anxious and worried”.

She wrote: “I am not a public figure and have no intention of being one. I will stand up for my community and not live in fear.

“I understand what a hard job you [Marcus Fysh] do but I cannot accept the action you deemed suitable. By all means sue me or whatever action you deem necessary but my principles are worth more to me than conceding to any hostile, thinly veiled acts.

“It is in the public sight now as I always do with anyone taking this stance. Please rethink how you deal with the average Joe as you are making yourself into a local villain and Yeovil needs a champion.”…

It is unclear what particular posts Mr Fysh is referring to, but he has come under fire in Yeovil ‘Real’ News, which has more than 18,000 members, in recent weeks.

He has been criticised for his expenses claims, his responsiveness to constituents and his decision to vote in favour of the Investigatory Powers Act 2016, a new law which gives the government more power to access a person’s digital communications…

He was forced to defend himself earlier this year when he was ranked 635th out of 642 MPs for replying to emails sent by writetothem.com, a service run by charity mySociety to make it easier for voters to contact their MPs….

Mr Fysh was embroiled in another online controversy earlier this year when he employed Mark Keating, who he once branded a “troll” and blocked from his social media channels, as an assistant.

Marcus Fysh messages, part 1
Marcus Fysh messages, part 2
Marcus Fysh messages, part 3

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