Owen Jones

I agree with Floisme and Buzz. I think we should start from the assumption that OJ is telling the truth. This kind of questioning is exactly what women go through when they report violence.

And I don't know whether OJ was attacked by right-wing thugs or not, but it does seem to be the case that he has been a particular target of the far right in the past, and there has been a general increase in attacks on journalists by the far right. I don't think people should let their personal dislike of OJ lead to them ignoring this very serious and frightening trend:

www.theguardian.com/media/2019/aug/19/uk-journalists-facing-growing-number-of-attacks-from-far-right

really sad to see that people are not willing to beleive someone when they are assaulted

Yeah, shit isn't it,.

Maybe he was "asking for it"?
What was he wearing?
Why was he out late at night anyway?
He must have provoked them somehow?
Maybe they were just trying to be nice?
Why didn't he call 999?

Am I seriously seeing a discussion on a feminist board about whether a victim of an assault is behaving in an appropriately victim-like manner?

It’s not even that I don’t have sympathy for him being attacked by political opponents although I do of course recognise his hypocrisy. Two wrongs don’t make a right etc.

It’s more I don’t believe his story or to be generous his story is based on him wanting to be a case of being beaten by right wingers rather than something more mundane. He recalls they didn’t say or shout anything. Why wouldn’t they? No take that you lefty? Nothing?

Strange political attack. Has massively exaggerated whatever happened and think it will unravel but suppose there’s a small chance his theory is right but is still a theory given they said nothing

There’s an element of schadenfruede to my earlier comments because OJ has occasionally cheared and encouraged violence and refused to condemn it.

Sure, I totally get the irony of him of all people being attacked. It comes back to what people were saying on the gay cake thread: if there's a rule, it has to apply to everyone. If there's a rule that says "it's not OK to physically assault people, that's not how we resolve disagreements in a democracy", that has to include the case when Tara/Tanis is thumping Maria at Speakers' Corner. If it's OK in Owen's eyes for Tara/Tanis to hit Maria, then Owen can't complain when thugs, far-right or otherwise, punch him. Yet he is complaining, and it's enragingly hypocritical, and I can totally see why some on this thread have no sympathy for him. That doesn't mean we should hope for him to be attacked, or even jest about who would be an even more ironic attacker (which I think is what you were doing) because jokes, especially when written, can be (wilfully or innocently) misconstrued.

We've already had a joke someone made on here about Section 28 be deliberately misconstrued by AWAs on Twitter. Let's not give them any more stuff that they can twist in their desperate attempt to paint us as the "prosecco stormfront".

Ok. Would have preferred who the attackers were if an attack was going to happen. Obviously no assault is better than any.

There’s an element of schadenfruede to my earlier comments because OJ has occasionally cheared and encouraged violence and refused to condemn it. I have always been consistent about opposing violence full stop.

I suppose I shouldn’t change that stance and haven’t. Will still say violence can’t be excused. He will lose sympathy from some when it appears he’s cynically leveraging off the back of it though and not being wholly honest. Being attacked should be sufficient for people to emphasise with. Military precision manoeuvres however make me roll my eyes a little.

I wish it was a few TRAs attacking him

Not cool. I wish no one was attacking him. I also wish he'd stop being a dick towards women he disagrees with.

How does OJ know that the attackers were men? Did he ask their pronouns?

I wish it was a few TRAs attacking him because the Guardian is a transphobic organisation but he wouldn’t have made such a fuss of it if it was.

He’s basically guessing it was a targeted far right attack.

Perhaps his attackers self-identified as being on the far-right?

I'll get my coat...

Sorry for posting so much. It’s obvious I don’t like the guy but promise it wasn’t me

twitter.com/Indigo41105581/status/1163576404405080064

It seems the Twitterari are sceptical. As per Smollet however it’s just too dangerous for a public figure to call him out as they’ll be hounded by the media.

It’s difficult to say I believe you got attacked but you're milking it which will be portrayed as unsympathetic and victim blaming.

If he was clever he wouldn’t have done the media round yesterday and today and lied low as everyone can now see he seems pretty chipper and hardly has a mark on him. Not being seriously injured wouldn’t excuse the attack but does put some parts of his account into question

I was confused by this too. When it was first described I expected something very serious and assumed he was badly hurt and in hospital. Then I see him talking about it on youtube looking really chirpy and happy saying it must have been a far right attack.

I believe that he was attacked in some way, but it looks like it hasn't been reported accurately. He seems almost gleeful about it, which is odd. I still condone violence, and any sort of assault however mild, but something seems off here.

He’s been given a shoeing on Twitter which isn’t surprising given he’s banned most of them from his account. Lots of Jussie Smollet memes.

To reiterate I don’t believe he’s made the whole thing up - to give him credit he won’t be that stupid. He’s basically guessing it was a targeted far right attack.

Might even believe it himself but that doesn’t mean it was. Pure speculation now being reported as fact. If it is true they obviously didn’t intend to really do him in. Suppose it would make sense as a warning but I’m surprised they wouldn’t just go all in. What sort of Nazis are these guys?

He's being called the British Jussie Smollett on twitter.

We aren't the only people questioning it

It certainly is or at least being reported more now gay people are less likely to hide in the shadows. Recent publicised cases have been horrific in their level of violence this group of four motivated thugs showed remarkable restraint. Almost unheard of levels

If the police want to catch the attackers then they should release the CCTV and make an appeal to the public

I hope they do. Homophobic violence seems to be on the increase.

It’s complete speculation but he probably was with his gay pals hugging and kissing when saying his goodbyes and a few oiks took offence. Considering how violent London can be these days he frankly is very lucky to be left so unharmed. I’m not condoning violence at all by the way but he is definitely bullshitting and trying to make the most of it. Politicers gonna politic. If the police want to catch the attackers then they should release the CCTV and make an appeal to the public

If four men beat me up I’d be in hospital. And if I’d been kicked in the head I’m sure there would be a mark.

Barefaced lying over violence and attacks is the hallmark of transactivism (razorblades, fake cut fingers, speakers corner, etc).

It's very sad if that sort of transactivism produces scepticism. I wish they wouldn't do it.

Royal Corgi I'm assuming your comments about some men becoming adept at not leaving marks relates to domestic violence where a husband for instance is recurrently assaulting a partner and doesn’t want there to be any visible evidence to show. I doubt an anonymous military trained far right group would be too concerned about that. ‘Let’s beat the shit out of him but don’t leave any marks’. Surely mark or no mark he’d still treatment from such a vicious pre-medicated attack

I’m sorry but I just don’t buy his account of the attack. I doubt it’s completely fabricated but seems to have been embellished somewhere down the line. I doubt a beating planned with military precision by a group of four far right thugs would have resulted in no injuries other than a barely visible bruise on and an arm and a couple of scratches.

He probably was accosted. Maybe a few homophobes or people who just didn’t like him. It’s not impossible he’s told the truth but seems to be massively over egging the pudding or his far right attackers are the softest and most polite far right thugs ever