LWS Edinburgh 6th April 2024

[cordeliachaseatemyhandbag]

Who's coming?

Oh they knew. They were chanting at us and we were chanting ‘TRAs are full of shite’ back at them and one police officer was cracking up.

This is the youtube link for all those who aren't on twitter.

As an aside I thought as LWS know theyare limited by size of speakers they can bring, that in the past the suggestion was (assuming you have such a phone) is to use your mobile to listen but still watch.

I haven't had time to re-listen as apart from wind unfortunatley had 2 phone calls that interrupted my watching.

But thought the young women were brilliant and moving.

I'm on my way home.
I couldn't hear or see a thing, so just randomly chatted to some lovely people.
V bizarrely I also had a fairly long, polite and civil discussion with a TRA!
Obvs we talked about the actual issues, but also discovered we're seeing the same singer this year, me on Tuesday, him in July.
Great, but v odd day for me.

Fantastic. Once we can get to the point where people can have civilised discourse, we can make progress.

I tried on my phone but the YouTube feed was several seconds behind the speakers so you'd need headphones. Also my train ticket was on my phone so I didn't want to drain it. I had some nice chats with women near by some who'd come from Ireland

https://twitter.com/StandingforXX/status/1776612611972296807

💜

It was one of the ones at the back, I recognised the steward there from WWW, and Menno was there at the time, I just asked the TRA a question, he seemed reluctant at first, but ended up talking for a good half an hour and he took his mask off.
I honestly though today might get violent.

I'm so glad it remained peaceful, Wibbly.

These people are not okay.

KJK was absolutely on fire. I have so much respect for that amazing woman.

I am puzzed how anyone thinks those signs are going to help anything. Aggressively sexual, as noted by others, it smacks of corrective rape. It reads like a threat. Gross.

I was a bit anxious walking there and met a couple of women coming back not wanting to go near the TRAs and hoping to cut through by Princes Gardens but the police had closed the gardens. We walked together and initially headed to the wrong area as it wasn't clear how we got to the LWS area. It was like navigating an obstacle course. I left a bit early partly because I thought it had finished and partly to avoid any trouble from TRAs. Maybe we should feel flattered they think we're worth giving up a rare sunny Saturday for. I certainly wouldn't have gone in to Edinburgh today (or any other day) to protest at an event when they were all speaking. I suspect most of us have busier lives than they do.

I tried on my phone but the YouTube feed was several seconds behind the speakers so you'd need headphones.

Maybe that's why they dont suggest it any more ...

Its quite an undertaking (even before the TRAs turn up) to get to these different cities, with equipment and set it all up.

Maybe that other well know woman who also goes by 3 letters could donate the money for some astonishing loud speaker system, so not only could all attending hear, but blast out the silly rainbow ditties.

re the police and their "safety" measures.

Hasn't that become a pattern, hemming in the LWS event so everything feels almost kettled, but also making it really hard to get into the meeting space.

Wasn't there a problem like this is Liverpool?

Very well put.
I agree.

The Telegraph have already written an article about this and highlighted the fact that the TRAs had blatantly homophobic signs.

It's all bringing fantastic sunlight to the tactics of TRAs, so well done to every woman who was there!

Hope this link works
Feminists clash with pro-trans activists on march against anti-hate speech law (msn.com)

I couldn't go today - well done to everyone who did. It sounds like it was quite scary and Police Scotland seem to have done a poor job so I'm in awe of the brave women who attended and/or spoke

Most of the article seems quite positive coverage and has comments on the police

Commentator Susan Dalgety wrote: "Reflecting on today’s #LetWomenSpeak rally at the Mound. The organisers had liaised with @PoliceScotland beforehand to ensure it was a safe event, but on the day the policing failed. Counter-protesters - many of them young men - were allowed to surround women on all sides - effectively kettling them. It was intimidating behaviour and a failure by the police to properly manage the event."

The Scottish Feminist Network said: "The Hate Monsters and placards are lovely but, in reality, women have been penned, surrounded on 3 sides by screaming masked thugs. @PoliceScotland are keeping us safe but we are experiencing an onslaught of noise & abuse."

https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/scottish-news/women-speak-edinburgh-event-marred-32527096

https://twitter.com/moleatthedoor/status/1776664698139611212?s=19

Mole has redone the sign

The more I see of these TRA's the more convinced I become that they are simply genuinely bonkers. If you actually believed you were a marginal group would you think "I know, to garner to maximum support for our position lets dress up like paramilitaries, carry placards with obscenities and shout abuse at people (with a side order of banging cymbals at police horses)". I dont think these people are channelling Martin Luther King somehow.

From what I've seen, as well as being horrendously homophobic, the TRA's signs were (as usual) horrendous on the eyes too. Scrawled nonsense on a bit of dirty cardboard, as usual.

As as usual, women's signs were beautifully painted/embroidered or set out.

@lonelywater

I certainly think most would meet the threshold for a personality disorder.

Thanks, it does. Although the definition of terfs has baffled me!

'One sign read “trans dogs bite terfs”. The term “terfs” is used by transgender campaigners to describe women who oppose the view that gender is unfixed and can change according to how people self-identify.
Another sign suggested that lesbians are attracted to the male genitalia of transgender people, and another that they are attracted to transgender breasts.'

Most of the TRAs seemed to be posh male students. My partner had fascist screamed at him when he tried to engage with them, which was nice. I feel really angry about the TRA behaviour today, disgusting Lesphobia from a bunch of over privileged idiots.

Where are our usual apologists for all things Gender Ideology, who throw the guilt by association at us but wear blinkers when it comes to the GI side, those who claim GI is not homophobic or misogynistic? Their silence, as ever when their side show their true colours, is deafening.