Port Adelaide Enfield Mayor Claire Boan slams ‘toxic’ residents’ Facebook group, leaves

An Adelaide mayor has quit a community Facebook group with a bold lashing, blasting members for what she claimed was bullying and “crapping on the council”.

PAE Mayor Claire Boan has left a community FB group.

Port Adelaide Enfield Mayor Claire Boan has levelled a lashing against members of a community Facebook group, accusing them of toxic behaviour and bullying on the social media site.

In a post shared to the ‘You know you’re from Port Adelaide/Le Fevre Peninsula when …’ group’s 29,000 members on Tuesday, Ms Boan said she was exiting the group over commenters “(crapping) on council”.

“It is pretty average for others to crap on the council for things that many of these people commenting know nothing about,” she wrote.

“The speculation, false information and rumours are just too much.

“I’ll tell it as it is because no-one likes BS. I love our community and this page doesn’t truly reflect the amazing people who live here.”

Ms Boan’s comments came after recent commentary in the group around the council’s move to scrap Semaphore’s annual fireworks display in lieu of a free ‘Dockside Festival Event’.

An anonymous post in the group, which attracted more than 130 comments, slammed the decision, labelling it an “absolute farce”.

Port Adelaide Enfield Mayor Clair Boan removed herself from the community group on Wednesday. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

Ms Boan made a shock exit from the community group, blaming "bullying" and toxic behaviour. Picture: Facebook

“PAE Council has given the excuse that it was not environmentally friendly (which of course is true, on the environmental level) BUT some of our honest council members have admitted the TRUTH to residents,” the post read.

“The truth being that the council simply couldn‘t afford it this year. AND YET they somehow DO have the exorbitant funds to undertake the transformation of our magnificent foreshore into a horrid concrete jungle.”

At the time, a Port Adelaide Enfield Council spokesperson told The Advertiser that fireworks would be considered for 2023’s celebrations.

“We are continuing to consider alternative options that are environmentally friendly, cost effective and that bring our community together,” they said.

In response to questions about the post, Ms Boan said she “couldn’t exit quietly” and wanted to stand up for others who were “too scared to write anything with the fear of being bullied on there.”

“Aside from council bashing, these people continually put others down. Having a go at individuals with bullying behaviour, shitting on the community with comments about how bad the peninsula is etc,” she said.

“The way people speak about others (not only council) in that group is disgraceful and by passively bystanding we are endorsing that behaviour.”

“These voices have gained momentum and power and don’t deserve it.”

One anonymous post in the group slammed the council for scrapping the fireworks display. Picture: Facebook

Ms Boan's response to criticism over the decision to can the NYE fireworks display at Semaphore. Picture: Facebook

Last year, Ms Boan appeared on anti-vax podcast ‘Prison Colony Resistance’, saying she “didn’t know how she survived” after experiencing side-effects from the Covid vaccine.

Ms Boan said she was bed-bound for 35 days after an immune reaction to the Pfizer vaccination, after receiving her second dose at a “stupid pop-up”.

She claimed she later became fatigued, and hardly able to walk from the couch to her bed.

“I was laying in bed, my pulse was really weak, and I thought, ‘this is the end’,” she said.

“I was saying goodbye to my family, my kids, my husband, my Mum and Dad.”

While Ms Boan said her test results in hospital came back normal and her doctors declined to link her illness to the vaccination, she still struggled with memory loss and found it difficult to hold conversations.