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Badenoch reveals she watched lynch mobs kill people in Nigeria as a child and says cancel culture follows the same mob logic

From the Newshound archive · first published 11 October 2026 · last updated 12 October 2026.

Kemi Badenoch warned that the hive-mind dynamic of cancel culture mirrors lynch mob killings she witnessed as a child growing up under military dictatorship in Nigeria.
Kemi Badenoch warned that the hive-mind dynamic of cancel culture mirrors lynch mob killings she witnessed as a child growing up under military dictatorship in Nigeria.
Kemi Badenoch as a child with her father, growing up in Nigeria where she witnessed at least two lynchings — including one where the victim appeared to be innocent.
Kemi Badenoch as a child with her father, growing up in Nigeria where she witnessed at least two lynchings — including one where the victim appeared to be innocent.

Kemi Badenoch has revealed that as a child in Nigeria she saw two people lynched — on one occasion watching the victim carry out a crime before being killed by a mob, and on another witnessing a killing with no explanation at all. The Conservative leader drew a direct line between those childhood experiences and online cancel culture, arguing both are rooted in herd fear and mob tactics. She made the remarks at the Cliveden Literary Festival over the weekend during a discussion on ideological capture in British institutions.

Badenoch said: 'I saw real lynch mobs. I saw people killed' — and argued the 'hive mind takes over' in both Nigeria then and social media now.

She praised JK Rowling and headmistress Katharine Birbalsingh as examples of people willing to use 'all the tools available' to resist mob pressure.

Badenoch also linked the same mob mentality to rising antisemitism, warning that militant groups exploit mass fear to silence dissent in public institutions.

MoreDaily MailKemi 'watched lynch mobs kill people when she was a child in Nigeria'Jewish News (GNews)Kemi Badenoch blames mob mentality for rising antisemitismThe TelegraphBadenoch: I saw lynch mobs as a child... cancel culture is similar
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