Kemi Badenoch, a Conservative Party leader, has drawn parallels between her early experiences of witnessing lynch mob violence in Nigeria and the contemporary phenomenon of online cancel culture. Speaking at the Cliveden Literary Festival, Badenoch reflected on how these childhood experiences shaped her perspective on the dangers of group behavior and the suppression of dissenting views.
Born in Britain but raised in Nigeria during the 1980s and 1990s, Badenoch described a period marked by a rise in violent armed robberies, during which she witnessed at least two lynchings. She recounted seeing one individual beaten to death after committing a crime and another incident where she observed a lynching without witnessing the initial offense. These memories, she said, inform her view that modern cancel culture operates similarly as a form of mob-based intimidation.
“The hive mind takes over, and it’s fear of the mob,” Badenoch said, emphasizing the communal nature of both physical and online crowds that silence opposing voices. She suggested that those who introduce new or controversial ideas often face coordinated backlash from militant groups using “mob tactics” on social media or in person, creating a climate of fear that inhibits free expression.
During the discussion on ideological influence in British institutions, Badenoch highlighted individuals she views as exemplars in resisting cancel culture. She mentioned Katharine Birbalsingh, a head teacher who faced legal challenges after refusing to accommodate a Muslim pupil’s prayer practices in a secular school setting, and author J.K. Rowling, known for her outspoken criticism of transgender rights activism. Badenoch praised their willingness to use legal protections to defend their views and support others who might be targeted.
“You need people like that who will use all of the tools that are available in our law,” she said. “It’s why I love people like J.K. Rowling, who know they cannot be cancelled and they use their status and their power to protect other people.”
Badenoch also addressed questions of cultural identity, noting that her three children with Hamish Badenoch are English rather than Nigerian, explaining that they have no direct connection to Nigeria. She expressed concern about others defining people's identities for them, stating, “What I think is dangerous is when people start telling others what their identity is.”