Paris Protest by Sex Trade survivors attacked

[OhHolyJesus]

It just never ends.

twitter.com/radfmnst/status/1368678240127234050?s=21

[stumbledin]

This is shocking. Will share where I can.

It illustrates so graphically (and in such a violent way) how global the queer networks are sharing the tactics and language of anti woman trans activism.

Solidarity with our Sisters in France

Solidarité avec nos sœurs en France

(sorry in the French is wrong - I had to rely on google translate)

[stumbledin]

And then this:

"Save a trans person, kill a terf"

twitter.com/radfmnst/status/1368680121926905866

[ALittleBitofVitriol]

Frightening! Those women are so brave!

Any TRAs here seeing this have a 'are we the baddies' moment?

[OppsUpsSide]

The police are not interested in protecting women, what a suprise!

[unwashedanddazed]

It is shocking to see how anyone would want to attack survivors of trafficking, let alone young women doing it. The chants of my body, my choice as justification are naive in the extreme. I can't get over the lack of empathy.

[NonnyMouse1337]

What the actual fuck?! This is horrible!!! How can anyone support such violent misogyny and think they are on the right side of history?

[SquishySquirmy]

Awful. Those brave women.
I can't comprehend the mindset of those in the counter protest... why so aggressive?
Even if you strongly disagree with the message, why throw eggs and deliberately intimidate? Why confront peaceful protestors with violence?
Who can possibly condone that?
And the original protest wasn't even about Trans rights....? Yet once the women had been condemned as "those sorts of feminists" it was apparently acceptable to some to react with physical violence.
The mob was summoned and the mob turned up and did what stupid, violent, self-righteous mobs have always done.

What can be done to show solidarity with those women? Is there any small way that any of us can support them from the UK?

[Olderstyle1]

These scenes are absolutely terrifying. Women sex-trade survivot=rs attacked by baying mob of masked and angry males while the police look on unconcerned. Rescued by other women. The woman-hating is blatant.

[ChattyLion]

This is horrible. I haven’t watched the videos just going from the Twitter commentary accompanying us bad enough. Please can someone advise on an effective action we can take to support the women in Paris?

Do we write to our MPs and ask them to ask our government to strongly condemn the harassment and intimidation of women peacefully demonstrating for women’s rights in France and to assure UK women that their right to safe legal protest in the UK remains committed to in a democratic UK? (..please suggest wording)
Do we ask UK trade unions and women’s groups to do the same, what’s best?
Write with concern to French Embassy/ask Uk gov to do so?
Do we ask the politically active UK mainstream charities that seem to dislike women’s rights where they come into conflict with men’s gender identification, to publicly condemn the behaviour as anti-democratic..?
Sorry if this is a very ‘Uk’ centric response just trying to think of best ways to use existing channels. I have very little knowledge of the relevant government structures here. And obviously I send my solidarity to the women affected in France.

[OvaHere]

Just came to see if this was posted. Horrifying. It couldn't be more starkly an MRA movement.

"my body, my choice and shut the fck up" and "SWERFs" to our sisters on top of the statue. They also yelled "No feminism without whores". They then started throwing eggs at us and tried to spray us in the eyes with red spray paint. They attacked all the ones who were at the foot of the statue, hitting us and tearing the banners we were holding. We yelled back "male violence", "MRAs" they then started yelling "transphobes" and giving us the finger and started chanting "one terf, one bullet, social justice!"

Threadapp reader thread here

threadreaderapp.com/thread/1368678240127234050.html

[Delphinium20]

We often wonder about the end goal. And we often say it's a men's rights movement...yet really it's a misogynists' movement disguised as "in-fighting within feminism." If you make it seem that there are evil terfs who hate some women's "choices" and "identities," most people will think it's nothing to do with them. These lies mask the misogyny. You have to truly hate women to want shut down the voices of women hurt by prostitution.

[Forgivenandsetfree]

I'm sorry, I dont exactly understand what went on here...These women were protesting what had happened to the, (forced prostitution?) and some trans activists took offence to it? Why?

[Sophoclesthefox]

@Forgivenandsetfree

I'm sorry, I dont exactly understand what went on here...These women were protesting what had happened to the, (forced prostitution?) and some trans activists took offence to it? Why?

That’s the big question - why?

In these mad times, the basic feminist act of pointing out that prostitution is exploitative of women, particularly when they are trafficked into it, signals that one is the “wrong” type of feminist, and therefore fair game. “Proper” feminism, from the transactivist point of view is open to everyone and doesn’t make men feel bad or make inconvenient demands of them to not shit all over women.

In less surprising news, misogynists hate feminists, so...plus ça change.

[UppityPuppity]

The police did nothing - yes, what a surprise.

I could make an informed guess about the possible motivation as to why male police officers watch this shameful treatment of the women, protesting about this sex-based issue (read both meanings of the word sex) and do nothing to intervene...

Shameful - they need to be held to account

to our French sisters.

[Sophoclesthefox]

“There’s no conflict between trans rights and women’s rights!”, screamed the mob throwing things at sex industry survivors while berating them for not including born males in International Women’s Day events.

[Biscuitsanddoombar]

Bloody hell that is heartbreaking & terrifying!

I cannt comprehend the mindset of women who would attack vulnerable women trafficked for sex. It’s sociopathic in it’s lack of empathy

[OhHolyJesus]

Bang on Fox it's quite hard to see how it can be anything else but a MRA movement...and the police did nothing, just like they do nothing here but pursue 'hate crime' misgendering, forget about 3 women a week being murdered.

[WendyTestaburger]

Can someone please explain to me why it is so bad to be "transphobic" if these people represent trans people? If women's rights are "transphobic" - as these people clearly say and as the Green Party is now open about - why do we have to jump through so many hoops not to be "transphobic" ?

I do know really that they don't speak for all trans people, but actually I have to work quite hard to know that, because this terrifying behaviour is never condemned by the BBC or the Guardian or any politicians. And I'm fucking exhausted. Maybe it's just that the word is wrong, as its not the "trans"ness, it's the violent male entitlement that's terrifying. Is it still a phobia if the fear is legit though?

[Imnobody4]

The seriousness of this can't be ignored.
www.plebity.org/conversations/marguerite-stern-and-the-breaking-point/

[Imnobody4]

twitter.com/Margueritestern/status/1368623348725481477?s=09
The video.

[ArabellaScott]

Horrendous.

We need some kind of international network and links to join women's groups together. Is there one?

Wendy, I don't know whether these people are 'trans' or not, they use that word/movement as a flag and attack women from behind it. These are just people who have deliberately gone out to terrorise women.

I don't associate the TRAs with trans people, necessarily. Lots of trans people are totally horrified by the actions and words of TRAs.

Thanks for posting, OhHoly, I missed this and made a different thread just now.

[WendyTestaburger]

I know that really arabella. They certainly don't speak for the trans people I've met and known. I'm feeling glum and the video of this was sickening. Such hatred. Women have become so dehumanised. It is so backwards.

But also it's weird how actually very few organisations, trans based or otherwise, publicly condemn the frequent threats and violence to women done in the name of trans rights. And some are openly now saying using terms like "male violence" or "female reproductive system" is transphobic. Not even trying to hide the misogyny.

The closest acknowledgement we get is here on mumsnet being allowed to use the pronoun "he" if a transwoman is a convicted rapist. And that tiny crumb probably won't be given us forever because fuck knows the amount of grief mumsnet get for it.

[MoltenLasagne]

That's really scary, and what's with the police refusing to protect the women unless they are attacked?

Very similar to Bristol iirc and I'm sure there's more I can't think of now.

As PP states, what can we do to show support?

[WarriorN]

J Bindel

thecritic.co.uk/the-radical-feminist-campaigner-who-has-nothing-left-to-lose/

[littlbrowndog]

I think it was men using any argument to attack women

These men are now emboldened to use terf and transphobia and sex work as an excuse to show their hate and violence towards women

And so they did