AIBU to want to express support for women who were assaulted at a political conference?

[Warmlight1]

To want to send out support to the two women visibly assaulted at a political conference.
I am concerned about the other protesters too and actually anyone who was hurt. But having to listen to jeering from the podium plus the crowd chanting in live TV at the same time must have been so traumatic and the publicity will die down and coverage move on but that can't be easy. Just want to send love and support.

That does not mean, that those people who violently attacked her, had any just cause for doing so.

Have I just read that women come running to the attention of little bells! Absolutely priceless. No, women can post on whichever threads they want.

And so, for example, whilst I would be perfectly entitled to "talk slightingly or contemptuously" of a Reform member, or to "treat with scorn or disrespect" or "despise" them, I would not be entitled to drag them around by their hair, or hit them with a stick, no matter what they were doing. Great, we agree.

No but it does mean emotions are running high and tone deaf agitators might want to have a rethink.

What if the protestors' emotions were also running high?

Didn't take long for the victim blaming to start.

That's the whole point of them being there isn't it? That and wanting attention. John Prescott's agitator once found out the hard way.

Tbf the majority are very much appalled by both what happened at Reforms conference and the response from their supporters.

It's just that their supporters are incredibly active on these threads. I mean 16.5% of all posts on this thread have come from one particular poster, who is also averaging around 7posts an hour over the last two and a bit days on these topics 🤯

aka - People who protest Reform should be quiet or risk being assaulted? Great

I have two thoughts at the same time.

This woman pretended to be a Reform member to disrupt their conference and she should not have been there in the first place, and could expect to be physically ejected. No one there wanted to listen to her, she was being self-righteous and self-indulgent.

This woman should not have been struck and received forceful blows, and the way the that she was assaulted was disproportionate. These men and Reform should hold themselves to a higher standard than this, and those who landed blows should face criminal action.

I'd say the point was to make a very clear objection to the racist and violent rhetoric that Reform are putting out. And to many people, they have achieved exactly that, albeit at a physical cost to themselves. Brava!

Hopefully those involved in the unnecessary violence, that they were unable to control, will be thinking about their actions. There is hope!

We've been here before haven't we? I told you the last time that it's got nothing to do with you when I post and how often. If you are doing calculations on that, that says something very strange indeed.

No. You can support who you like without being jailed or assaulted for it. We can think it’s a vile choice though. And say so.

Thanks for quoting the numbers here- that is very much par for the course and I try not to respond to that poster because derailing seems to be a literal full time job.

Incredibly they have just posted an on-topic comment:
No [ie it wasnt right to violently attack the protester] but it does mean emotions are running high and tone deaf agitators might want to have a rethink.

There we go. Simple victim blaming. She asked for it.

Are you joking? Non-violent protest is legal. Assault is not. It's not a case of "well, you started it, don't set me off." Why are we enabling dangerous people?

Indeed. Bit bizarre yet maintains they are a Conservative voter...

So she was there for that reason then - to provoke? Bravo. We got there.

...and in they come. Yes, a Conservative, and? Am I only meant to post on certain parties?

I think you might have quoted me by mistake there - I didn't say anything about provocation?

She was there to exercise her right to free speech. Doesn’t justify the mob attacking her.

And Reform supporters could also have made that argument. However, they’ve opted for variations of “what did she expect/she was asking for it”.

Well you had to get racist in somehow. Did you forget that? Is that the point she was trying to prove. I thought it was about a certain sum of money that Farage had accepted?

Well many of their voters, much like some of their MP's, are moving over to Reform, so....

Let's try again, and maybe this will be clearer. They were there to object. I'm sure they expected to be removed, and that is par for the course in situations like this. I doubt they thought 'I hope Reform bash us with sticks and pull our hair, that will be great'. But since that was indeed the way Reform responded, it does end up showing them for what they are.