I went to this event on Friday, it had a lovely atmosphere and there was a professional and friendly male and female security team.
As at other such events, it was very jarring to realise that they are necessary.
I don't understand what the Uni was playing at at all - the Women Talk Back group have had loads of public events (been to a couple) at the university, featuring way more supposedly controversial speakers eg Julie Bindel.
The uni security didn't seem to have any issues dealing with the rather daft protestors that sometimes turned up, and everything was very orderly. That's their job after all!
The uni actively reversed their previous policy and told WTB they would turn away peaceful ticketholding members of the public but not intimidating masked protestors - hard to avoid the conclusion that it's vindictive following their victory over the student union.
It tells the protestors that they are right and that they have impunity - which is why we are where we are.
Well done to WTB for finding another venue where the public were welcome.
The uni has a massive influence on life in Bristol. receives public money etc, and their students have gone out with impunity to shut down women's meetings in the city that are nothing to do with them. God forbid women members of the public want to come in themselves though eh.
Akua Reindorf told us about about the legal fight to get the domestic exception for migrant workers in households declared unlawful. This loophole meant that it was legal not to pay domestic workers if they lived in a household - she said these women, who usually speak no English and have their passports taken, are effectively slaves. She told us about a horrific case where a woman was locked out of the house, with no money, and ended up sleeping on the front step - the family came and went, stepping over her. Eventually she went to sleep in a park, where she was gang raped. When she told the family they said she'd brought it on herself. AR said that these women are all around us, they are our sisters and they are truly the most marginalised and vulnerable.
She mentioned the charity Kalayaan who work to help these women. I'm going to set up a DD.
Alice de Coverley spoke about the huge range of issues facing girls in education - the omnipresent sexual harassment, the failure of SEND systems (hundered and hundreds of appeals listed every day) and CAMHS, boys into Andrew Tate, period poverty (although I'm not so sure about that one personally).
Liz McGlone and Amara Ahmad couldn't make it.
Local women involved in legal fights or other campaigns spoke instead:
Wendy Stephenson of Bad Policy Watch Bristol gave an outline of the TWAW TWAM motion passed by Bristol council and what it means. As Sarah Phillimore related in thread above:
''We asked the Mayor if a lesbian can have a penis. A non binary councillor shouted out ‘ask my wife’!! And Green Party Councillors fled the meeting.''
Sarah spoke herself about her work with Fair Cop and getting recorded illegally by the police.
Prof Jo Phoenix spoke about her legal fight against the Open University - she said she hadn't realised what was happening to her was illegal until she read the Reindorf Report whose author she was now sitting next to.
In the Q and A women in education and tech spoke about the discrimination and harassment they were facing at work.
Have to go out now! Hopefully can come back later with more detail - Sarah P's thread is great!