Let Women Speak Liverpool - Sunday 8th October, 1-3pm

[starfruittree]

NC for this.
For a long time I have always said to myself if a LWS event came near to me, the least I could do was go along and show solidarity. Seeing what has happened elsewhere has made me so angry, it would be time to stand up and be counted.

Now there is an event next week, and I'm really surprised how nervous, even scared I am about going along just to listen, and really just wanted to reach out for advice, support, whatever.

I'm worried about the vitriol of protesters, the attitude of the police. I have worked in pretty 'captured' sectors and am concerned about being identified on social media, or by acquaintances - I'm fairly sure there'll be old contacts, people I like and who I have had time for - protesting or certainly vocally supporting the shutting down of KJK on the day. I guess I personally run the risk of being publicly 'outed' and losing friends and contacts that will have a real impact on things I do that mean a great deal to me.

Yet I feel if I don't go I will always regret not standing up and showing KJK support on my doorstep. I'm even worried about DM-ing the local Women's Rights Network as I tweet with my full name. Perhaps if anyone is on this board they can PM here, or give some info about plans for the day?

Sorry I haven't seen any threads about this LWS event so apologies if there is one already.

The Electoral Commission has rejected Posie's political party, which presumably means she can't stand. But I gather she is reapplying.

Oh no. Do you know why?

Googled and found it

The application was rejected “as the party’s constitution and financial scheme were not compliant with the law”, a spokesperson for the commission told PinkNews.

“The constitution did not accurately set out the structure and organisation of the party, and the financial scheme was not properly adopted.”

Parker told PinkNews: “Like many applications for registration that were rejected on the same day, we were advised how to reapply for the optimum chance of being accepted.”
She has “no intention of abandoning the women of Great Britain” and will form the Party of Women “as soon as possible”.

Why is the commission talking to Prick News?

I assume PN approached them for comment. Reasonable for them to respond to a media question.

I was there. There were two bodyguards plus local volunteer women providing security in hi-vis. Everyone was hyper vigilant to detecting any trouble within the cordon.

The police were OUTSIDE our cordoned area, not inside. Me and another woman linked arms at one point because we became aware of a man behind us we didn't trust. Later a different man tried to push through us to apparently "shake hands" with KJK. We stopped that happening.

After the event ended, I was walking back into the city with other women and became aware that in front of us was KJK with the two bodyguards, NO POLICE, and three of the local women security volunteers. They waited by the side of the road for at least 7 minutes until their car appeared (it should have already been there waiting imo). KJK was vulnerable at this point so we women also waited, we agreed we would step in to protect KJK if any activists came for her (we well remember Auckland . We were determined that NO ONE would be getting anywhere near her. The car came and she left.

No police were anywhere near her at all during the event. They failed to provide a buffer zone and this meant that activists were right behind the women who had come to listen to speakers. In fact activists surrounded us on three sides, screaming, shouting, abusing us constantly. When I attended the #LetWomenSpeakGlasgow the police were very good indeed. George Square was divided into three; us on one third, a huge buffer zone in the middle third, and the activists on the other third. Everyone was able to hear perfectly.

How frightening. Thank you for explaning

I get a weekly email feed from the New Statesman. Naturally today it was all about the Labour Party Conference, and how wonderful Rachel Reeves is 🙄. it says at the top, "These are my thoughts. let me know yours by hitting 'Reply'". So I did.

Hi Freddie,

I was in Liverpool on Sunday, and what I saw outside the Labour Party Conference was a bunch of women corralled into a small holding pen by police, seemingly to facilitate a group of counter-protestors, who spent two hours hurling the most vile and misogynistic insults into their faces, and aiming to drown out their voices with jeering and klaxons. Several male Labour party and trades union members,
proudly wearing their tee-shirts, were amongst this vile crew. People cannot change sex. I know it, and I'm sure you do too, Freddie. The Labour Party has already lost the votes of many women over this. it will surely lose many more, and some men's support too. Whilst the Party continues to pander to this unrepresentative and noisy 'rainbow' cult, whose actions do nothing to help the small number of people suffering from genuine gender dysphoria, but are in fact sexist, regressive, and homophobic. Women will not be fobbed off with a few platitudes about single-sex spaces. They need and deserve much more from the Labour Party. They could make a small start with "100% of women don't have a penis". Even female Shadow cabinet members seem uncertain what a woman is when asked. If this is a measure of how brave they are, do they merit anyone's vote? What do you think, Freddie?

duc748
(Labour Party member. Though, not, currently, voter)

@MarchXX of the 3 LWS events I’ve been to this was definitely the worst in terms of policing. Manchester was good (all the events I’ve been to in Manchester have been well policed) and Belfast was amazing. Merseyside police seemed like they didn’t give a shit about our safety.

Thank you for all your heroic efforts.

Someone should be making a complaint about the policing, it sounds a miracle that nobody was hurt.

NC'd for this.

I talked to Quentin Letts' wife last night and asked her to thank him for doing this - for taking the trouble to walk down and cover the event when so many people/outlets don't do so. It gives it another chance to be noticed by more people. It was a good conversation. The FWR threads/Mumsnet might have been mentioned more than once.

Sorry scrolling through quickly, but thanks for the info re KJK registering a political party. I assumed they would give her the run around. And yet Monster Raving party is registered.

I hope it does go through, and if not someone other than PN tries to find out what the issue is.

As to the financial side, obviously there are costs if you are doing local leafleting, hire rooms etc., but nowadays so much can be done online. Although might not get the outreach of door to door!

And yes it is sad that someone holding an outdoor meeting agreed with the local authority cannot rely on the police to provide protection. And despite the fact that we are meant to have free speech in the UK, someone has to have private security to exercised that right.

I wonder if the rules on new parties have been toughened up? The Monster Raving Loony Party has been going since forever (60s?). And, tbf, they had some good ideas!

I talked to Quentin Letts' wife last night and asked her to thank him for doing this - for taking the trouble to walk down and cover the event when so many people/outlets don't do so.

It looked like there were press photographers there, and as me and pp have said above, why the Echo's specialist reporters weren't there - they must have known - is odd. I've seen no local news reports. In fact the TRA I recognised in the crowd has not followed through with any mention of being there on their socials, even though even Glinner and others have made an example of him. I think even the MEN were on the case in Manchester, iirc.

How weird. Why send reporters, and then not cover it?

How weird. Why send reporters, and then not cover it?

Because they were hoping for a tomato soup type event to get some good pics.

Photographers for the media have no interest in context.

Any ordinary members of the public would think the faces of the angry men shouting a women would be a striking front page picture.

But I am afraid this is part of the problem. Many men just dont think it odd that women being shouted at and silenced is news. This is the life they live.

Letts at least was interested in content even if only to make clever comments.

As you might expect PN has done a totally "unbiased" news report

Posie Parker's Liverpool 'Let Women Speak' rally drowned out by queer protesters
https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/10/09/posie-parker-let-women-speak/

These are Getty images from the event (look at the price)

https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/supporter-at-the-let-women-speak-gathering-at-albert-dock-news-photo/1724947653

You can have my photos for free!

Yes! It was an exhausting day - but the after effects only became obvious yesterday. I developed a full on lights flashing/zig-zag migraine; my daughter a splitting headache, from which she had to take the day off work, and I think Lark Lane mentioned she had to fend off seizures. It was quite traumatic. I have been feeling enraged and angry, and triggered, for two days now.

The police were unprepared and there was not the buffer zone between the event and the mob that there there should have been. It was the wrong location for such an event - not enough space - and right by a main road.

Jeez! One of those guys with the massive cameras has sold the rights and they are charging £350 for one photo.

I have lots.

Do you have any images of this person you recognised? Who are they? I'm in Liverpool, and will no doubt come across some of the faces that I have captured on camera.

I've tested positive for covid this morning. Ho hum.
The police were too few but none of them were unpleasant to me.
The women marshalling the event were amazing, thank you.

I agree with @RebelliousCow about the positioning of the event. I'm not happy at all about it.

I'll just stand here

And send you well wishes from here

Get well soon

Just to say to all the women who went, it was brilliant that you stayed. I was just listening via the link and constant sound of those men was making me quite tense and I found it hard to shake off all day so what it must have been like for all of you.

Give yourselves a big hug.

And it maybe that the venue wasn't quite right, but I suspect it would have been fine if so many men, meant to be in a conference, plus the local TRAs hadn't banded together.

I think the way the stewards and KJK go to different cities and make use of public spaces is great.

So even if the underestimated the number of women who came, I think it would have not been so bad without the horrendous physical expression of men's rights. Men's rights to take over spaces. Men's rights to shout and be loud. Men's rights to try and ridicule and humilate women.

And for all of us on different levels that in your face expression of men's rights is demoralising.

In years to come all of you will be known as the women who survive the Albert Dock seige.

And young women will come and sit at your feet and say "Please tell us how you stood up to those total w--kers!

👏👏