Councillor ‘thinking of quitting politics’ after sexualised AI sticker campaign left her feeling 'unsafe' in town she represents
A councillor from Kent has suffered 'vile' abuse from members of the public which has left other women questioning whether they should put themselves forward for public office.
A councillor has told LBC she is considering quitting politics and that she no longer feels safe walking alone after dark in the town she represents, following an 18-month campaign of online abuse, AI-generated images and intimidation.
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Liberal Democrat councillor Hannah Perkin said stickers featuring sexualised and racist AI-generated images of her had appeared around her home and on the council building in Faversham, Kent.
"It makes me feel watched. It makes me feel less safe in the town that I represent," Cllr Perkin told LBC.
She said the latest batch had been placed on lampposts throughout her estate and on her usual route to the town centre.
Cllr Perkin has lived in Faversham for 15 years. She was elected in 2019, re-elected in 2023. And, she is considering not standing again when her term ends in May 2027.
One sticker featured an AI-generated image of Cllr Perkin surrounded by naked Black men touching her hair and leaning into her.
Another fake image shared online showed Cllr Perkin surrounded by men in reference to the 'white couch meme' - originating from a from a promotional image from a porn film.
Cllr Perkins said she believes the harassment is linked to her support for refugees and efforts to make her district a welcoming place, adding: "people can disagree with my politics all they like... but you cannot behave the way that they have been behaving."
A third sticker showed Cllr Perkin in front of goats, and a sign reading 'Care Home Closed, Refugee Sanctuary Open'.
"It felt very aggressive because making and putting up stickers is taking somebody some a lot of thought," she said.
She said the escalation from online abuse to intimidation in real life had been “pretty harrowing to deal with”.
The targeted incidents have been branded "vile" by the Liberal Democrats, with the party insisting they are "backing her fully" in taking the matter to the police.
This comes as new figures show a quarter of councillors have faced threats of violence and 7% have had death threats.
74% of councillors have faced abuse or intimidation during the election period, the Local Government Association reported.
This rises to 85% for female, ethnic minority, LGBT+ or disabled councillors.
52% of councillors reported that abuse and intimidation had increased sharply or slightly over the past 12 months.
Cllr Perkin said the abuse has left other women questioning whether they should put themselves forward for public office. She said women active in their communities had told her they were concerned after seeing the treatment she and other female politicians receive online.
“Why would they want to put themselves in firing line of that,” she said.
“I have children. They don't have access to my social media, but they have the right to walk through our town and not see AI pictures of their mother," she said.
Cllr Perkin said she had been reporting incidents to Kent Police for around a year.
Police examined CCTV, carried out door-to-door enquiries and checked Ring doorbell footage after the stickers appeared, she said, but no concrete evidence had been found identifying who put them up.
"As much as the police have been, they have been very supportive. I’ve been really shocked at the levels of what’s acceptable," she said.
"I don’t know how much more they have to do for it to be a criminal offence."
Cllr Perkin said she has also faced online videos in which she says she was called “satanic” and subjected to sexualised allegations.
She added: "People can disagree with my politics all they like... but you cannot behave the way that they have been behaving."
She also said a known anti-migrant protester had come to her house and posted intimidating material through her door.
“It's definitely made me consider re-standing much more seriously than I would have done previously,” Cllr Perkin said.
“What I think it means is that we lose out on potentially really good political representation because people are frightened. And that's not, that's not how things should be in 2026.”
Cllr Perkin said she had spent around £250 on CCTV, alarms and security for her home and children.
“It shouldn't be up to women to grow a bigger spine” she said.
“We should be addressing the fact that people are behaving appallingly towards them and doing something about it so that women feel safe to go and do the role which they are invested in.”
Hannah Perkin is a Trustee of Faversham food bank, the Bensted charities and Citizens Advice Swale. She also supports many local volunteer organisations, placing her at the heart of the local community.
'Fair game'
Dr Annabel Mullin, Director of Communications at ElectHer, said harassment was shutting women out of politics, warning: "We’ve had councillors who’ve stood down as a consequence and people who won’t stand."
She said the abuse was definitely gendered, adding: "Women who put themselves forward with an opinion suddenly become fair game."
Dr Mullin said political parties must take greater responsibility for protecting candidates, warning that much of the harassment councillors face falls “slightly below that criminal threshold” - allowing perpetrators to “get away with it”.
ElectHer is calling for stronger candidate-safety measures, including removing home addresses from election paperwork by default and creating a central safety hub through the Electoral Commission, providing a place for people standing for office to access guidance and support on threats, harassment and online abuse.
The organisation's work is informed by a community of around 10,000 women across the UK, and it is developing a dashboard with the University of Birmingham to identify practical ways to improve safety and support for women in politics.
In response to the targeting of Cllr Perkin, a Liberal Democrat spokesperson told LBC: “The vile abuse targeted at Hannah is appalling.
“Hannah was absolutely right to involve the police, we are backing her fully and will provide her with any further support.
“She has handled this with immense strength, continuing her hard work for the people of Faversham while speaking out against conduct that no politician should ever endure.
“Her situation underscores the urgent need for an AI regulator to hold tech giants accountable and prevent these tools from causing real-world harm."
Chief Inspector of Kent Police Julia Bassindale said: "Over the last few months, Kent Police has investigated incidents in which computer-generated images of an individual have been circulated in the Faversham area and on social media.
"It was also reported that printed newspaper articles had been posted through the door of their address. An assessment of that imagery, and of the posted newspaper articles, found it did not meet the legal threshold for a criminal offence to be recorded.
"However, officers do appreciate the distress it has caused the person who reported this and can assure them that all investigative opportunities have been explored."
Last year, the Guildhall building suffered around £10,000 worth of damage after a council meeting was stormed by young people in balaclavas as a Swale Borough Council meeting voted whether to make the area a "District of Sanctuary" - a district that commits to being safe, welcoming places for asylum seekers.
People wearing balaclavas in the public gallery allegedly shouted threats and threw eggs at councillors. The council building was left badly damaged, with toilets vandalised, flooding through ceilings and a lift destroyed.
The building had to close the following Friday and over the weekend - preventing residents from accessing council services.
Officers charged a 12-year-old and a 14-year-old from Sittingbourne with criminal damage in relation to an incident on 10 December, Kent Police said. A police spokesperson said the boys were bailed ahead of a hearing at Medway Magistrates' Court on 26 March. There is nothing to suggest they are linked to the stickers or other incidents mentioned.
Helen Whately, the Conservative MP for Faversham and Mid Kent, said: "No-one should have to endure hate crimes, harassment, intimidation or threats as simply part of the job.
"I utterly condemn the harassment of any electoral candidate or elected representative; it is not just an attack on the individual, but also on our democracy itself."
The Liberal Democrats have been contacted for comment by LBC.
