Kemi Badenoch recounts childhood lynching scenes in Nigeria and links them to cancel culture

During a discussion on ideological capture at the Cliveden Literary Festival, Kemi Badenoch revealed that as a child in Nigeria she watched at least two people killed by lynch mobs, recalling one incident where the victim was first seen committing a crime before being beaten to death. She said these experiences shaped her view of the dangers posed by modern online cancel culture, which she likens to a hive-mind mob that discourages dissent.

Badenoch highlighted the need for outspoken individuals, citing author JK Rowling and headmistress Katharine Birbalsingh as examples of people who use legal tools to push back against such pressure. She also touched on her family's identity, noting that her husband Hamish Badenoch and their children are male and female, not “half-male, half-female.” The remarks were part of a broader critique of what she sees as militant activism in British public life.