The father of a little girl who appeared on the Late Late Toy Show last week has spoken out about the torrent of online abuse his family have received in the aftermath of her appearance.
Lara Reddy from Swords in Dublin reviewed toys with Ryan Tubridy and started their chat by singing a version of My Little Pony.
However, the lyrics of the song, which went “My little Pony, so skinny and bony, went to the stable to die on the table” sparked a big reaction online, with many taking to social media to joke about the song.
Speaking to thejournal.ie, Lara’s dad said many people online accused Lara and her parents of encouraging the abuse of animals.
Explaining where the song came from, he said: “People were saying I was a bad father and I was teaching animal cruelty.
“My little pony is a cartoon, there was no correlation between real ponies and the song which is sung in all school yards by My Little Pony fans.”
Mark added that people were quick to criticise the child, and even reported undertones of racism in some of the comments.
He said: “By time we got home our social media feed had just blown up, it was absolutely crazy.
“The abuse stemmed from outright hate and racism, pedophilia, and then general negative comments made against a six-year-old following a three minute rehearsed segment in a live show.
“People don’t know her, she’s a six-year-old girl. It’s very sad to think that people would take time to write horrible comments like this.
Reddy pointed out that although Lara appears confident and self-assured, she was adopted at six months old and has issues relating to this.
He explained: “You wouldn’t think she had problems with confidence but she would have things that come with being adopted and we do our best for her.
“We do anything that we can to try and help her and to be abused like this is very worrying.
“We know we can’t protect her from everything in life. She knows there are bad people in the world, but she also knows there are more good than bad.”
Reddy described the impact the abuse has had on himself and his wife, saying “It’s very upsetting for us both and we would be very cautious now. You could take it if it was against yourself – but a 6 year old.
“Lara will never know of this side until she is old enough. She is still delighted with the experience and as a family it’s a positive memory we will have for a lifetime, although slightly tinged for myself and my wife.”
