Leeds WPUK cancelled

Were a lot of the WPUK supporters able to take advantage of being women of a certain age and therefore invisible?

Yes - it was hilarious because of the lack of self-awaress.

I think I can't find it now because it was in response to a (now deleted) tweet by the Richard F who crowed about reporting the venue (after receiving notification) and then moving to have the meeting cancelled. She actually asked if someone could text her the new venue if they knew it. I suspect she thought that WPUK would have contacted Richard (as a ticket-buyer) to reveal the new venue.

I've no idea if the numbers of women who stayed outside the venue while waiting to see if there was a new one (and to protest the council's actions) outnumbered the Woke Protesters (IYSWIM) who then had to split up to attempt to follow the WPUK women to the new venue. And then failed for whatever reason :)

arran did the protesters really say that about WPUK on twitter?!

Must have been his lucky day to find it was somewhere he could close down.

It did, however, provide the hilarious scenario that people who were gathering to protest the meeting then tried to follow the women when an alternate venue was found but lost their trail. And complained on Twitter about the WPUK sneakiness that somehow they'd managed to lose them - thereby demonstrating suspiciously good evasion skills :)

Yes that's true, the venue was announced at the last minute.

But how could they disagree with the content of a meeting that hadn't happened?

Clearly they can't. Because they haven't been able to give any evidence of transphobia.

Either way, the slippery, shifting narrative and reasons is just showing them up

Leeds CC are being rather disingenuous giving out that second statement. It has no bearing whatsoever on their original, published, reasons for cancelling the event. I don't know how they think that second statement in any way accords with the reasons people have complained to them. How on earth is that a valid response to complaints?

I think you buy a ticket and get told the venue later. So pricks people but a ticket do they know the time then when the venue is released Marshall the protesters. Must have been his lucky day to find it was somewhere he could close down.

How ridiculous do they look?! They have openly said on Twitter they disagree with the content.

Firth also said he bought a ticket. So how could WPUK have been booking the room in a fake name?

And then to say, that they cancelled, because they were worried about security. When it is they who are promoting the instability and threat!

Do they think people can't read??

arranfan, you mean the Muslim Council of Britain would have to include Christian, Jews and atheists in their meetings?

Dara Ó Briain has an excellent sketch about 'balance' in news reports and discussions.

It will be interesting to see if Councils apply very different standards to WPUK and, if they do, if that is the basis for action/complaint. What I have in mind here is that Quaker venues cancelled on WPUK after similar concerns? (This may be my misinterpretation and I have a feeling there were several Quaker venues involved.)

womansplaceuk.org/brighton-meeting/

Bloody hell, Leeds Council really are hardcore.

Have you seen this outrage?

www.leedstownhall.co.uk/whats-on/talk/owen-jones-building-a-new-britain/4196

Owen Jones: Building a New Britain
Mon 19 November
Victoria Hall
Leeds Town Hall

"Due to unforeseen circumstances, we regret that Owen Jones is unable to appear at Leeds Town Hall on 19th November. We are sorry for any disappointment."

Quick, get me Harrop on the phone.

arranfan, you mean the Muslim Council of Britain would have to include Christian, Jews and atheists in their meetings?

Those lies! I'm aghast!

Firstly, I find I am blocked by the Sprout itself on twitter - first time I'm blocked by one of these accounts, I must have been doing something right!

Secondly, it's clear that they're now panicking that 'it's our room' as an excuse for gagging women is not going to fly in the face of either contract law (see the cases I mentioned earlier, notably Verrall) and / or public duties/human rights.

“Since cancelling the booking we have received a number of complaints about our actions. However, it is clear that had the group making the booking been more open and transparent on the purpose of the meeting we would have had ample time to fully consider and prepare for any security, safety and equality concerns.”

Popchyk - I could be wrong, but I think the get out clause for many councils will be insisting on equality standards that might involve splitting ticket sales between groups with different agenda. Insisting on a mixed platform of speakers. And then deciding that that risk made the security costs too high.

I'd be thrilled beyond measure to be wrong.

Actually, given that Leeds Council said that they would host such a meeting, it is just that they need security because of bomb threats, wouldn't it be a good idea to hold lots more WPUK meetings at council offices throughout the country?

No need for secrecy about venues at all.

And the councils would be responsible for the security themselves.

Open, transparent democracy in action.

Which council could resist that?

There was a great comment on there, I thought.

WPUK should rebook the room for a different date.

See what Leeds Council do then.

What a fabulous article.
Thanks Times and Lucy Bannerman.

From the article:

"Richard Firth, a Green Party activist who had a role in the cancellation, declined to give evidence of the group’s transphobia"

Nice big picture of the "activist" also.

I'm not sure if the link upthread was a shareable one, this is:

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/leeds-council-bars-women-s-group-a-womans-place-accused-of-transphobia-jxh0rs8mj?shareToken=3999404a57d934e0a1ecc45b6489fd9f

(Also in today's times a good letter from one of the co-founders of Transsexual voices matter, and a couple of other articles which feminists may appreciate)

@StroppyWoman I think we met and exchanged details I only wish now that I'd been brave enough to join you all on the steps before the meeting. You're all heroes

Pimmsnlemonade has just posted this on another thread - article in the Times about the room cancellation
www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/leeds-council-bars-women-s-group-a-womans-place-accused-of-transphobia-jxh0rs8mj

I assume the room was one that was paid for who was the invoice raised for?. Didn't the form ask what the meeting was for and who was organising it - links to the ticketing so they could promote it... Live the million of rooms I've booked to various events.

So RJFirth claims the booking was made under a false name and yet he presumably recognised it was a WPUK event as he bought a ticket?

Frankly knowing how the AWA lobby will behave, WPUK would be insane not to make at least one if not several back up bookings. FFS, is that supposed to be complaining that WPUK are refusing to be abused nicely and easily?

A delightful new poster called RJFirth popped up earlier on this thread, but failed to get the attention he wanted so buggered off to goad people on the Judith Blake thread instead. Where he was also largely ignored.

Nonesexual more like it.