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#LiftHerUp Counters Misogynist 'Lock Her Up' Chant At Alberta Legislature

“We cannot tolerate this hateful language ..."

The Alberta Council of Women's Shelters (ACWS) has created a campaign to counter the chants of "Lock Her Up" that were heard at a rally against Rachel Notley's government at the Alberta legislature last weekend.

Threats against female leaders have become a frequent problem in Alberta politics.

In August, official Opposition leader Brian Jean made a joke about beating Notley, just months after the premier's face was used as a target at a golf tournament. And NDP MLA Sandra Jansen crossed the floor from the PCs, citing abuse and harassment from others inside the party.

ACWS came up with the idea for the campaign after shelter directors voiced concerns about the impact hateful messages against female politicians were having on children in the province.

"This poor behavior is teaching our future leaders that it's OK to bully women in power ... " wrote ACWS in a release.

The organization says that normalizing sexist language can help legitimize violence against women.

Albertans took to Twitter to celebrate female politicians and leaders, and call out misogynist attacks against them:

“We cannot tolerate this hateful language — this war on women in power, anymore," said ACWS executive director Jan Reimer in a statement.

Starting next week, the non-profit will also be selling "Lift Her Up" T-shirts to support women's shelters in the province.

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