Amnesty International Statement on FiLiA

[OhHolyJesus]

"Amnesty International UK did not organise any protests at the FiLiA conference in Portsmouth which took place on 16 and 17 October 2021.
We have a long history of campaigning against violence against women and this continues to be a vital part of our work.

We are equally committed to campaigning for the rights of transgender people to live freely, authentically, and openly, and to have their gender legally recognised without having to go through a dehumanising, long and costly procedure.

Amnesty International has clear guidelines on how we campaign. We will only support protests by any individuals, groups or communities which are in line with Amnesty’s core values, including not using or advocating violence, hatred or discrimination while protesting; and that the protests themselves should be consistent with international human rights law and standards.

We were approached by the organisers of a Fly the Flag event in Portsmouth at the weekend, who requested that we supply materials which reflect Amnesty International UK’s campaigning positions on the LGBTQ human rights.

Two sets of placards were sent. One set of signs stated the slogan “I AM WHO I SAY I AM: Amnesty International”. The second set of signs stated the slogan “LOVE IS A HUMAN RIGHT: Amnesty International”. The organiser of the Fly the Flag event stated that their protest would be respectful and celebratory and that she would seek dialogue with delegates to the conference. We were happy to support the Fly the Flag event in this way.
However, the event was not an official Amnesty International UK event and a sign that was displayed describing this as an official Amnesty International UK protest event was incorrect.

We have investigated events from the weekend. There were several separate groups holding events and protests outside the Guildhall in Portsmouth. Our understanding remains the case that the Fly the Flag Event was respectful and appropriate and was not connected with the threatening and aggressive language and images that were present in other parts of Guildhall Square that weekend. Photographs of the threatening and aggressive language and images displayed by other protestors present at the Guildhall have been shared with us and we are shocked by it.

We recognise that the FiLiA conference was attended by a number of women who have been the victims of violence and harassment. Amnesty International UK believes there should have been absolutely no place for the use of any threatening or aggressive language or imagery towards any of the attendees of that conference, or indeed towards any women."

www.amnesty.org.uk/statement-section-following-portsmouth-conference-october-2021

@CakeSale

We recognise that the FiLiA conference was attended by a number of women who have been the victims of violence and harassment.

It was attended by a number of women who have been the victims of the sort of stuff Amnesty used to campaign against.

If Amnesty knew what the FiLiA conference was about they shouldn’t have sent any posters at all.

What a load of mealy mouthed rubbish.

Amnesty can shove it.
They will never see another penny from me.

love is a human right

I am who I say I am

2 + 2 = 5 etc etc

Also

Love is a human right

@DuckDuckNo

Love is a human right is in itself problematic as hell.

Yep. Just had to argue this with my kids primary school. The statement was everyone had the right to be loved. Which also means someone else owes them love. And we all know what that translates to in reality. But people in charge of safeguarding need that explained to them apparently.

@ShoppingWomble

I got a similar email when I cancelled my direct debit to them this week:

The protest outside the FiLiA conference in Portsmouth was not organised by Amnesty International UK. We responded to a request from the organisers and sent placards for their planned peaceful demonstration in support of trans rights. However, we have since received reports of offensive behaviour at the demonstration. We take this very seriously and we are investigating.

Amnesty International is committed to campaigning for the rights of transgender people to live freely, authentically, and openly, and to have their gender legally recognised without having to go through a dehumanising, long and costly procedure.

We do not believe this goes against our campaigning for women’s rights. We feel the current conversation, in particular on social media with regards to self-identification, is misguided and not based on evidence. Restricting the rights of transgender people will not advance or protect women's rights.

Our campaigning on this issue is based on Amnesty’s research on legal gender recognition in multiple countries and on existing human rights standards. It also draws from our long-standing work on violence against women and its root causes. We do not launch campaigns without solid research and consideration for the human rights of all groups concerned, and we dispute any assertions that self-identification will be used by men in order to access spaces where women are vulnerable to abuse or harassment. There is absolutely no evidence that this would happen. In countries where self-identification is already the process (Argentina, Ireland) the policy has had absolutely no impact on anyone other than trans people, making their lives easier.

Rubbish rubbish rubbish!

yes I had very similar I'm going to send them some examples of things that never happen, I invite you all to join me in this

We recognise that the FiLiA conference was attended by a number of women who have been the victims of violence and harassment.

But we still sent a load of placards to people demonstrating against it because...ummmm...reasons.

Aye right. This can’t erase allllll the nonsense of the last few years. The can stick it where the monkey sticks his nuts (as my late mum see to say).

"There is absolutely no evidence that this would happen. In countries where self-identification is already the process (Argentina, Ireland) the policy has had absolutely no impact on anyone other than trans people, making their lives easier."

There is plenty of evidence that this does happen...

If love is a human right, then does the government have a legal responsibility to provide me with a mail order spouse? Or to run brothels?

Craven

I cancelled my long-standing regular gift and have tonight set one up for a couple quid more to BPAS. Amnesty can shove their non apologies up their irrelevant woke arseholes.

@GrimDamnFanjo

"There is absolutely no evidence that this would happen. In countries where self-identification is already the process (Argentina, Ireland) the policy has had absolutely no impact on anyone other than trans people, making their lives easier."

There is plenty of evidence that this does happen...

I did notice they carefully avoided referencing Canada!

‘I am who I say I am’ makes no sense in a world where our sexed bodies can define if we live or die, if we bear children or not, if we are oppressed or the oppressor, if we can be overpowered by a lone policeman or if we can overpower a lone Walker….

In countries where self-identification is already the process (Argentina, Ireland) the policy has had absolutely no impact on anyone other than trans people, making their lives easier.

According to Amnesty’s web page on Argentina

According to official data, every four hours a girl aged under 15 gives birth in Argentina. Most are forced to carry to term pregnancies that are the result of sexual violence.

But we are also supposed to believe that they have the infrastructure and will to diligently collect data that shows that women aren’t adversely affected by self ID?

For an organisation that used to specialise in prisoners, they are remarkably indifferent to what is happening to women in Limerick prison and in Canadian prisons

Quite, Coyoacan

I did notice they carefully avoided referencing Canada!

Or California!

There is a good meme of Jimmy Saville wearing a 'I am who I say I am' T-shirt. Do amnesty suggest this is a good message for schools: forget 'stranger danger' childten, if a man wants to show you the puppies in the back of his van then you must believe them. And those sexualised messages you receive from your posts on Tiktok - they ate actually 12 year old girls if that is what they say they are so it is fine to meet up with them in secret...

The thing with this business about love is that they've taken a conception of love that means something quite different from romantic or sexual love.

The older sense of universal love is not about an emotional response but an attitude to other people. There's a developed set of ethics around this that has been really influential in western society, and still is in a lot of ways.

But applying that to sex and the emotion of romantic love is so shallow it's difficult to even believe anyone would do it.

What actually happened was that the youngsters present at the "protest" didn’t get the memo about pretending to be civilised and said the quiet parts out loud.

@Coyoacan

For an organisation that used to specialise in prisoners, they are remarkably indifferent to what is happening to women in Limerick prison and in Canadian prisons

Well the Elizabeth Fry society has hung them out to dry, so why not AA?

Incels behaviour points to a belief of: "sex is a human right"

Amnesty outright say and put on flags: "love is a human right"

They're not a billion miles from each other imo.

"Love is a human right". Great slogan, isn't it? You can read it as either idealistically universal or, more cynically, carefully unspecific.

Unspecific until you remember which sex is always tasked with providing the "love" and which always trousers all of the "rights"....

The only "rights" that exist in a society are those that are upheld by law. My right to life only exists if it is illegal to kill me. If I am a soldier in a war like WW1 I don't have a right to life because the other side will be trying to kill me and it is legal for them to try and kill me in war.
A "right to love" implies that the law could compel someone to love someone else even if they didn't and didn't want to. That would obviously be a bad unenforceable law. It makes me think of incels and paedophiles. As a slogan it's pants.