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Original poster

Scottish politicians sharing images smearing women's groups

36 replies

ArabellaScott · 16/04/2021 10:34

Heather Herbert, candidate for Scottish Labour, shared a cartoon yesterday on Twitter that depicts a figure standing as ForWomenScotland wearing a KKK hood. I'll not link as it's pretty offensive and I don't know if MN would allow it.

Herbert's caption: 'Reading the SNP manifesto and for some reason this image jumped into my mind...

Can't think why.'

There were calls for Heather to be reported for hate crime.

The image was then retweeted by Emma Cuthbertson, Co-convenor of Scottish Green Party Women.

Why the aversion to groups set up for women's rights? Are the Scottish Greens and Scottish Labour trying to say the SNP are transphobic?

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Alicethroughtheblackmirror · 18/04/2021 18:36

Thank you Sage, you are right. I had heard that Heather came bottom in the list vote, but zipping meant that men and women had to be ordered alternately and so Heather was bumped up (I do not think HH has a GRC).

Labour suspended the candidate who posted the awful meme in 2019 about Joanna Cherry, so yes, why aren't they taking action?

The Greens should do something, but I fear they are so far gone now that they actually think encouraging VAW is OK. I was horrified when I saw that John Finnie, a former police officer, was calling women "terrorists" in the Hate Crime debate.

SageHoney · 17/04/2021 17:39

@Alicethroughtheblackmirror

Fortunately, Heather is bottom of the Labour list for NE (I think Jenny Marra's brother is top and he's sound), but this really shouldn't be allowed to slide! Apparently, Heather has posted this picture in the past. Coming after Bradley Booth, the SGP candidate for NE, who was threatening to "punch the f*" out of women who attended the Alba women's conference and the charming person in charge of Rainbow Greens, Scottish politics -with honorable exceptions - feels like a bin fire for women's rights.
Heather Herbert is 8 out of 9 on the Labour list for North East Scotland, but is also the Labour candidate for Donside.

Labour should suspend Herbert, even if that means they have no candidate in that constituency for Holyrood 2021. Greens should do the same with Booth. If the SNP could do it with Neale Hanvey for Westminster 2019, why aren't these other parties stepping up? Why aren't they being pressured to do so?

Alicethroughtheblackmirror · 17/04/2021 17:26

Oh yes, even twitter accepted it violated the rules. But crickets from the Greens. Apparently, he was only threatening "queerphobic" people and therefore people couldn't object, because they were tacitly admitting to "queerphobia".

SunsetBeetch · 17/04/2021 14:56

Coming after Bradley Booth, the SGP candidate for NE, who was threatening to "punch the f*" out of women who attended the Alba women's conference

WHAT? Shock

Alicethroughtheblackmirror · 17/04/2021 13:14

Fortunately, Heather is bottom of the Labour list for NE (I think Jenny Marra's brother is top and he's sound), but this really shouldn't be allowed to slide! Apparently, Heather has posted this picture in the past. Coming after Bradley Booth, the SGP candidate for NE, who was threatening to "punch the f*" out of women who attended the Alba women's conference and the charming person in charge of Rainbow Greens, Scottish politics -with honorable exceptions - feels like a bin fire for women's rights.

Original poster
ArabellaScott · 16/04/2021 20:05

Good point, Michelle. Well, I hope somebody does take this kind of casual slander seriously.

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MichelleofzeResistance · 16/04/2021 18:52

I could be racially offended just on the grounds of using the KKK and the appalling deaths of many, terrified people as a casual joke just for a start.

MichelleofzeResistance · 16/04/2021 18:49

But only if it's because of all the protected characteristics except for sex. So women aren't protected.

I tick at least three other boxes apart from sex. Many, many women do..... Besides which, under the Stonewall guidance pretty much everyone in Scotland is NB/GNC.

It would obviously be lovely if women would just stay in the one box which can be kept shut, but it just ain't possible.

Original poster
ArabellaScott · 16/04/2021 18:35

But only if it's because of all the protected characteristics except for sex. So women aren't protected.

They were careful to include 'cross dressers' as protected. And very careful to exclude women.

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MichelleofzeResistance · 16/04/2021 18:12

I'm offended, so there's definitely a hate crime been committed. That's all that's necessary. And who knows how I identify at this moment in time!

The Scots MPs insisted this kind of thing was criminal, let's see them taste their own medicine.

nauticant · 16/04/2021 18:11

It would be strategic, to show what the new hate crime laws are really about. It's one thing to parse the wording to explain the gaps, it's quite another to show how they work in practice.

ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 16/04/2021 18:04

That should go to the police

No such thing as hate crime against women...

dotoallasyouwouldbedoneby · 16/04/2021 17:35

Posters on Scotsnet tried this a few weeks ago. The Scottish Conservatives are the least captured. SNP, Labour, LibDem and Greens all believe TWAW.
You may find this useful for questions: www.conservativesforwomen.org/free-speech

dotoallasyouwouldbedoneby · 16/04/2021 17:30

@WhyCantIBeMoreCreative

I’ve been a long-term lurker in the feminism chat board and I’m becoming increasingly concerned by what I feel is a lack of voting options in Scotland, I feel like I’ve nobody to vote for that’s going to stick up for my rights.

I might email the candidates asking them to indicate how the plan to ensure women’s sex-based rights are protected, does anyone know of any templates produced by Women’s rights groups? (As they tend to be far more eloquent than I am!)

Posters on Scotsnet tried this a few weeks ago. The Scottish Conservatives are the least captured. Labour, LibDem and Greens all believe TWAW. You may find this useful for questions: www.conservativesforwomen.org/free-speech
MichelleofzeResistance · 16/04/2021 17:15

That should go to the police. In fact Heather should turn herself in immediately. The Scots politicians have been quite clear about there being no right to offend others via social media, and it being a serious public offense necessitating police involvement. Let's see the MPs who voted this in demonstrating their own beliefs in practice please.

SunsetBeetch · 16/04/2021 17:05

Phew!

Original poster
ArabellaScott · 16/04/2021 16:29

Well.done, Sunset, Herbert seems to have deleted.

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SunsetBeetch · 16/04/2021 14:02

Archived in case Heather has the good sense to delete it

archive.vn/CZ7Yo

nauticant · 16/04/2021 13:43

What a weirdly appropriating, racist image

It's an appropriation of a progressive meme from the US. The message of the meme is that reasonable Democrats who seek to engage with reasonable Republicans need to be shunned because they're getting into bed with armed Trump supporters, the American ultra-racist far right, and the militarised police. It's a criticism of people who try to occupy the centre ground. The usual kind of open-minded stuff from self-styled progressives.

Scottish politicians sharing images smearing women's groups
nauticant · 16/04/2021 13:31

Here's Heather Herbert's tweet:

twitter.com/HeatherLabour/status/1382649656606359559

Looking at the replies, it's not going quite how they wanted.

pheebumbalatti · 16/04/2021 13:20

transphobia is like the new red scare or satanic panic

Original poster
ArabellaScott · 16/04/2021 13:09

Whycant I am planning to write a letter to send to all.candidates asking them about women s sex based rights.

As for who to vote for, I think it depends on your constituency. And of course ones priorities. It's only go ing to be the least worst option for me, none of the parties are up to much. Many of them apparently hobbled by the tra pressurising them, sometimes from within.

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andyoldlabour · 16/04/2021 11:59

I sense a hatred and envy of women and narcissism a plenty.

ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 16/04/2021 11:58

I think ALBA on the list if you are indy, Tories if you are Unionist is your best bet?

SunsetBeetch · 16/04/2021 11:58

Shocking but not surprising.

And as a general musing: have politicians always acted with such immaturity? My fuzzy memory tells me not.