Peter Tatchell Arrested - Outrageous

His version of why he lost the Bermonsey by-election is especially interesting.

He says it was because of a vicious anti-gay campaign.

I have heard it was more that a constituency full of ex-service men and women did not fancy being represented by an Australian draft dodger.

I suspect he'd have been even more outraged if he had NOT been arrested.

TBH most of the MC white progressives on the NCCL for whom PIE was a badge of how super cool and progressive they were had abandoned PIE and were condemning them well before the mid 80s. Tatchell was definitely in a minority on this even in the 80s.

Tatchell is a relentless self promoter, I stopped listening to him decades ago after the umpteenth time his version of events was somewhat askew from everyone else’s. Most of the coverage of this is his version of events, he knows exactly what is likely to get him arrested. I’d be interested to hear exactly what was happening and what he was saying at the time rather than the “I was just carrying an impartial placard” schtick.

One of the most fascinating aspects of this whole battle is how many people seem to have started off fighting for women's and LGB rights, and found themselves increasingly concerned with issues such as freedom of speech, the right to protest, politics in the workplace and classroom, police impartiality and competence, authoritarianism in all it's forms. Maybe if we can think the TQ+ for one thing it is that it has woken a lot of people up to a lot of other issues which maybe we took for granted before.

I agree with you OP.

Its the old adage “I might not agree with what you’re saying but I will defend your right to say it”

having said that, of course, i don't give a flying fuck about his personal circumstances. Especially since his story and the police's story don't apparently tally.

I do have huge concerns about freedom of speech in the UK (insofar as you have it). But i am spending the energy i do spend worrying about that, worrying about women.

Unless they are doing things like expressing support for a proscribed terrorist organisation... the irony of course being that Tatchell was arrest for criticising Hamas!!!!

Yes, subject matter aside, its difficult to have sympathy for that individual.

I used to admire him for his political beliefs until I found he was an active supporter of PIE, (the paedophile network that swapped images of children and tips on how to groom and control them). He tried to play his connection down, but he allowed them to hold meetings in his flat. He knew exactly what they were doing and commented himself that children were sexual creatures. Now I can't get too incensed about him getting targeted by police. There are people far more deserving of my sympathy and support.

That was my initial response, @RedBeech , but having been present when a police officer tore down banners I'd made while telling us he was impartial and he was taking them down because they might cause offence: someone made a meme out of his reaction: https://x.com/Brendathemighty/status/1778855115425751068
my overriding concern is about freedom of speech and policing. Much as I dislike him, Tatchell deserves to be able to speak and protest freely, just as the group I am involved in should have been allowed to display our banners.

In a healthy society all voices should be heard. I am one of those women who has fought for years against No Debate. I'd be a hypocrite if I wanted free speech for me but not for people I don't approve of.

Absolutely @Brefugee

And what I've said throughout this thread: that just because he has some obnoxious views & activities, doesn't mean that this specific arrest was justified. Lock him up if those obnoxious activities are illegal - but his obnoxious views are not illegal.

Generally I agree with this and have been vehemently arguing this for years - I.e. Trump is horrific but I agree that men shouldn’t be in women’s sports.

But - if you’re an advocate for sex with children you’re scum, and I don’t care about the rest of your opinions.

Also, i think that we have to be very careful of saying "if you agree with him on one thing you are his ally and agree with everything he says"

Perhaps the police should examine his hard drive.

But the arrest isn't punishment. They presumably took him in on the basis of the behaviour they observed (which may have involved more than just a placard), questioned him and concluded that they had no grounds to detain him further. They did not charge him, let alone punish him.

Peter Tatchell is someone who is occasionally right, often wrong, frequently horrifically wrong. It is essential that he has the right to say what he thinks so that the rest of us can point out how and why he is wrong.

That's how a free society works.

It's not for the police to decide what placards are acceptable.

you’ve accidentally made a thread about someone who promotes sex between adults and children, about ANY topic, you can’t just gloss over that fact.

Agreed.

But I don't think that justifies crowing over him being arrested & imprisoned (even if only for 5 hours) for something else entirely. We, of all people, need to be very clear about the right to protest and police not locking us up for, I don't know, stickering or speaking.

I get you, but I’d fully expect TRAs to be delighted at her arrest for any reason and wouldn’t object, of course they’d think like that. Plus I don’t agree with Posie on everything.

But I am not engaging on the content of what he’s been arrested for, at all. My point is, when you realise you’ve accidentally made a thread about someone who promotes sex between adults and children, about ANY topic, you can’t just gloss over that fact.

what are you talking about?

You accuse people of having distorted priorities for not focusing on Palestine, yet dismiss the destruction of other entire peoples?

Hmmmm, while I have no love for Tatchell for all the reasons PPs give upthread, I don't think we should conflate those reasons with the overstepping of police actions in arresting him for what I think (IANAL) is legal protest.

Imagine if, for example, Posie Parker were arrested for something unrelated to her work in exposing gender extremist ideology. All the TRAs say, "Good, she should be in prison anyway. It doesn't matter that X was legal & she shouldn't have been arrested." How would that feel?

We really need to be prepared to take it, as well as dish it out.

Wellllll helooo bunny
Its nice to meet the real you.🙄

Object to the UK police carrying out an arrest and yet be willing to carry out mass murder people for the "sin" of living in a conflict zone. 👏👏👏

A law for me but not for thee is always the best option 🤪

Irony at its best.

If I were you and I really didn’t know that Tatchell was a pervert, I’d do my research now and be utterly mortified that I’d started this thread. None of the issues you raise can be discussed appropriately in the context of that man.

It's in the news story what happened. I don't have the eloquence you require.

He wasn’t arrested for stating his views though. If you’re going to moan, get your facts right.

I'm unclear if you mean it was legitimate for the police to remove the placard, but if so then I strongly disagree.

It's legitimate to separate protest and counter-protest, as that's the framework we have in place for protests, but it's utterly illegitimate and bizarre for the police to decide that opposition to Hamas is opposition to the Palestinian cause, and to arrest and detain on that basis. Or even to remove a placard on that basis!

It's illegal to express support for Hamas in this country. It cannot possibly be the police's role to shield Hamas from criticism, even if (especially if?) the officer thinks he's reflecting the public mood.