Sara Morrison vs Belfast Film Festival

[NorthernIrishFeminist]

Employers seem to be slow learners when it comes to women's rights! There’s another employment tribunal case being brought by a woman who attended and took the microphone at a Let Women Speak event in Belfast last year and has been treated very badly by her employer Belfast Film Festival as a result.

Looks like we’re going to have to keep gardening until they get the message.

disclaimer. I don’t know Sara and have no connection to BFF I’m just a woman who likes donating to causes that make a difference

Thanks for bringing this to our attention. I think she has a great chance of success.

I'm sure we'll all soon know Sara very well. If anyone knows her, send her over here.

Has she got a crowdfunder?

Hopefully she’s on here already or will soon join us, I don't know her. I just noticed it on twitter this morning.

Gardening pennies can be spent on the usual site, search on her name.

Yes, she's on the Crowd funding site. It seems pretty clear cut, and awful, from the statement. If anyone donates, remember you can decline to pay the extra amount that goes to the crowdfunding site.

Small gardening undertaken

I know Sara. She's an amazing woman who has done a lot for the arts and community sector in NI. She's been treated appallingly by those she considered colleagues and friends.

Let's Dig For Victory!

It's so embarrassing for 2nd gen feminist life-long socialists that the arty-lefty-loveys are the very worst Cancel Culture Vultures.

.

A small carrot has been planted.

Thanks for posting this. I wasn't aware this had happened to her, but do remember watching the video of the event.

All these women getting caught up in this hostile fanaticism.

Its nearly a year ago.

Has her life been in limbo since then.

Sorry - have just read the crowdfunder page.

Not only do I hope she wins but I hope she gets awarded damages for lose of income and trauma from bullying.

Oh FFS. Off to garden.

Planted some bulbs.

I too have done some digging. Her story is absolutely appalling!

Have also dug. Disgraceful situation. I look forward to Belfast Film Festive being excoriated in court.

Sara's story:

"My name is Sara Morrison and my employer, Belfast Film Festival, has de factosuspended me from work because I spoke at a ‘Let Women Speak’ event in Belfast on April 16th 2023.
I am crowdfunding to pay for my legal representation. I have submitted a claim for discrimination to the employment tribunal. I don’t believe that anybody should be discriminated against for having gender critical views, and talking about them, and my employer should not have suspended me for doing so.
I attended ‘Let Women Speak’ as a private citizen. I was there with friends, and very clearly not there in a work capacity. I plucked up the courage to take the microphone, and I spoke about the harassment and intimidation that women experience when they express views similar to mine, that women’s rights are threatened by people claiming they can change sex.
This event was focussed on protecting privacy, safety and dignity for women and children and was attended by a large and peaceful crowd.
Within an hour of my speech, the online harassment began. A photograph of me and my full name was circulated on Twitter. The online harassment continued over the weekend, and eventually the online bullies identified my workplace. My employer, other staff, stakeholders and previous employees were also targeted online.
I discussed what was happening with my employer and I informed the Police who visited the online bullies. I was advised by the police to put CCTV security in my home. It has been a frightening and stressful experience.
Everything was quiet for a few months - until July. A local trans focused organisation, whom I have worked with regularly and successfully in the past, contacted my employer to say that they look exception to having any dealings with me. The Let Women Speak event was specifically referenced in their communication. Soon after that, various other LGBT+ organisations then followed suit, and it became clear that a campaign was being orchestrated against me. Emails, texts and tweets implied I was ‘an unsafe person to be around’ and mistakenly aligned my views with an alleged ‘anti-gay fascist’.
These untrue accusations are hurtful. I have never, in all my years of working in the arts been anything other than fully inclusive.
The hate campaign against me became frenzied and escalated across social media. My employer succumbed to the escalating threats they received and made a public statement to inform my online bullies that I would be investigated and that they passionately supported the values of my bullies and would celebrate and defend them.
The stress and anxiety this has caused me has been overwhelming and exhausting. It’s not an exaggeration to say that at times I have been unable to carry out daily tasks.
I have been off work since July with work related stress. Rather than support me when I was experiencing external bullying, my employer initiated an investigation into me, the terms of which are still very unclear to me. My employer has denied my access to emails, shared work drive, and requested return of my office keys etc and I still don’t know when this so-called investigation will end.
My employer BFF has never attempted to explain to me why they decided to instigate an investigation three months after I spoke at the event. No support was offered to me following the online harassment and abuse.
My employer even publicly sided with the online bullies.
My case is therefore that my employer is discriminating against me due to my support of women’s rights, and the holding of gender critical beliefs.I have spent my life supporting women’s rights. I worked for Women’s Aid to re-establish a much-needed rape crisis service for Northern Ireland and deeply understand that consent is fundamental right for women.
Why is this important

• freedom of expression/speech in the arts
• standing up against the silencing of legally held beliefs and the chilling effect of oppression.
• In Northern Ireland it’s particularly important that publicly funded arts organisations act fairly and are impartial.
• I am a single mother. They came after me as an easy target to silence and bully.

Currently, I don’t know if I have a job or not. I have had to rely on financial support from family and friends to keep a roof over my head. I am crowdfunding to pay for legal representation to take this case to an employment tribunal, to show that no one should be discriminated against for having gender critical views and talking about them. My solicitor has recommended that I raise £15,000. All funds are held by [redacted] alone and when I have met my target are sent to my solicitor. Thank you for taking the time to read about my case."

Dug a small hole.

She'll have the first target tomorrow.

Done. So shoddy the way Sara and others like her have been treated.

Have planted some turnips

There’s a good chance she’ll meet the first target today - I think today may have been the first day it was up. Hope the speed of donations puts the wind up BFF

She's passed the first target!

Pitiful carrot planted but let's hope there's a whole field of them

That's brilliant stuff, even for her to know there's a community of people who know this is wrong and care that it happened to her.

Just did a little digging- can't understand why these organisations don't realise that they can't treat workers like this. Shameful behaviour.