FYI Venice Allan aka DRRadfem is also being privately prosecuted.

[therealposieparker]

This is by Guiliana "Ken Barlow" London and this is for live streaming the comments by Linda Bellos.

Its madness,sending you my support.

The TRA bunch definitely have a few tame lawyers.

It's real, the court date for a summary hearing is real.

Bonkers. Wishing you all the best DrRadFem.

Out of interest, will you have to meet the person prosecuting in the court? It's kind of odd being sued by someone you've (presumably) never met!

It sucks this is happening to you both.

Abusing the legal system by vexatious complaints is a common tactic of the disordered who can't take No for an answer.

It's also against the law - so might be worth considering a counterclaim, if the CPS doesn't throw it out first. Or a restraining order for harassment and stalking.

Happy to support as needed and really appreciate everything you've done so far to raise awareness.

Thinking about it, it's more serious than intimidation. This person wants to make women afraid to speak out in their own names. We can only do so much when we're 'anonymous'.

So many women are being harassed like this - Linda Bellos, Venice, Posie, Dr Kathleen, Olivia, Heather- police visits, private prosecutions, letters to employers, expulsion from political parties. It's awful.

Thank you, Venice and others - for speaking out.

I honestly don't get it.

The context in which Linda spoke is perfectly clear. And her track record speaks for itself.

What it's doing is drawing attention to these toddler tantrums which is increasingly making the public perceive transgenderism as a joke.

I'm concluding that it's not tactical, in any way. Because it's yet another own goal.

It can't be to shut women up. Because this is going to have the opposite effect. With a huge splash of the Streisand phenomenon thrown in.

So it's personal.

It's never going to wash.

What a bunch of wimps. They can't even let women think, never mind speak. Spineless little twats. Their parents should be so proud of them. Where ARE their parents? Shouldn't they be beside them, changing their nappies? These brats wouldn't know true hardship and oppression if it bit them on the inner thighs.

I'm genuinely outraged that a woman saying she'd defend herself is considered out of order. Defending yourself is no longer allowed. FFS.....

What in the what?

Right, you say you’re entitled to legal aid, can we help with anything else? Transport, food, childcare costs? It’s the small things that stack up and you shouldn’t be out of pocket for this.

I honestly don't get it.

It's narc rage, Datun. And narcs can't stop. All they can do is double down. Things will get worse before they get better.

I would expect the Crown Prosection Service to step in and take over the prosecution for the purposes of stopping it. (On the grounds that the evidence, once reviewed, does not reach the charging standard)

I have copied the relevant section from CPS guidelines about private prosecutions (below).

Would DrRadFem consider contacting CPS for the area and asking them to intervene by reviewing the evidence of the private prosecutor? CPS relies on the private prosecutor or the defendant to alert them to private prosecutions.

www.cps.gov.uk/legal-guidance/private-prosecutions

I'm not sure I'd worry too much. The allegation is so preposterous that I can't imagine any judge would agree.

Many years ago, a DP of mine was subject of a private prosecution for attempted murder, no less. The stupid man who brought the case could afford it, and that's pretty much the only criteria.

My DP naturally worried himself sick and it hung over us for weeks, but on the day the whole thing fizzled out. Because of course he hadn't tried to murder anyone (he hadn't touched the other man) and the judge was an experienced old buzzard who listened carefully and then told the plaintiff off for wasting everyone's time. My DP wasn't even represented. I was a witness.

Having read what you're accused of,. Venice, I really wouldn't worry too much. One of the things the court will consider is whether anything said at the event was of concern to the police and I can't imagine they'll get a yes. I can imagine the judge forced to listen to the meeting and being baffled as to what's supposed to be so offensive.

I appreciate that some judges aren't so reasonable, but I've been a witness three times and brought three claims to the Small Claims Court and all of the judges showed straightforward common sense. Not that anything will stop you worrying.

The only thing I would say is that if your legal aid barrister is crap you might do better to represent yourself. I was in a landlord and tenant dispute. Our legal aid barrister turned up at court having not read the documents. She was worse than useless.

I don't know whether your solicitor can represent you in a private prosecution. It would be a major advantage if they can.

Are you both getting good legal advice? If not are there feminist lawyers out there willing to help?

As always, happy to contribute to crowdfunder for legal representation.

I'm just horrified by this.

Oh boy. I’m sorry you’re going through this. As I have nothing to offer at the moment but sympathy and solidarity please accept that

So sorry this is happening to you Venice. They really just want us to shut up and go away don't they?

I said this would happen when I was filling in the GRA consultation - frivolous, mean-spirited lawsuits aimed at financial harm and distraction from more serious issues, based on nothing but feelings and "offence". I had charities in mind at the time, hadn't imagined individual women would cop it before the damn thing even went through. I hate being right about being paranoid.

for the stress and the time you have to waste on this nonsense.

It's narc rage, Datun. And narcs can't stop. All they can do is double down. Things will get worse before they get better.

Is there anything that TRAs have said or done in the last x amount of time that has changed the minds of the journalists writing about this, the MPs, health specialists, cabinet ministers?

Anything at all? Every single time they open their mouth, they recruit more people to the gender critical point of view.

Taking it legal, publicly legal, is just so incredibly difficult to believe.

I'm so sorry, Venice. If there's anything we can do, please contact us. Support in court, anything. I am pretty sure that this will be thrown out very easily, but my god. The aim is to cause stress and drive powerful voices away. However, where one voice vanishes, another appears - and with new resolve. They can't play whack-a-mole forever.

I am so sorry you are facing this. But the more we see them, the more the public will "see" them. They aren't any attractive proposition without the literal and metaphorical airbrushing

Linda Bellos after Maria Mac was punched at speakers corner, said if anyone tries that with her she will retaliate. In kind. Her father taught her self defence. She is proud of the fact that she has that body confidence.

A male bodied person is prosecuting two women for saying they will defend themselves from intimidation tactics, designed to stop them talking about being intimidated.

On the grounds that it hurts that male bodied person's feelings.

No-one is going to take anything away from that, other than the fervent desire to further intimidate that it accurately demonstrates.

Not a lawyer but I think Linda and Venice should get some decent legal advice and not assume this will be an open and shut case. The second part of Linda's comment was particularly ill-advised imo.