Let Women Speak Free Your Face Event

[IwantToRetire]

We will all walk to Speakers' Corner at 2.00 and read out the testimonies of women who speak about the niqab. I have something visual planned so we can elevate the voices of women who exist in a fabric prison, often, of their familys construction.

On the day I will hand out copies of testimonies for women to read at the heart of Speakers' Corner. We need as many women as possible to attend. This is your chance to show you care.

From https://www.letwomenspeak.org/event-details/let-women-speak-london-free-your-face-2025-06-29-13-00

Had not heard about this, but now there are a number of responses to the event such as this one:

In Keen’s , Muslim women are portrayed as passive, voiceless, and trapped by family, culture, and male insecurity. The veil is a “fabric prison,” and the women behind it are posited as unable to speak, act, or even “feel sunlight on their skin” without male permission. Their desires, commitments, and beliefs are never considered on their own terms. Instead, they are rendered legible through the eyes, imagination and political desire of Kellie-Jay.

The few “testimonies” —attributed to women in the Middle East—were anonymous, unverified, and clearly cherry-picked. It’s hard to believe that Keen’s public pronouncements on “Islamism” elicit nothing but thank-yous and confessions of helplessness. Of course, as an activist and propagandist, she’s under no obligation to include
counterarguments or opposing views.These testimonies function as a moral shield, allowing Keen and Let Women Speak to deflect critique with the familiar refrain: “These aren’t my words…” Indeed, her X/Twitter feed is awash with anonymized grateful wards, caged in fabric. These women are cast as mute victims—unable to interpret or change their own lives—and, by implication, grateful and dependent on these liberated English roses to speak for them.

https://morbidsymptom.substack.com/p/veilface?

DM coverage https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14858363/Moment-womens-rights-campaigners-Niqab-veil-free-face-London-protest.html

(Sorry if there is a thread about this already but couldn't find anything. If there is one please post link. Thanks.)

I remember the days. Thames during the week.

According to Karma Nirvana there are 12 'honour based' killings in the UK per year. There will be vastly more women abused and forced to do various things (marry, wear certain clothes, not go out to certain places, FGM etc).

That's just in the UK. But we also should speak up for the women of Afghanistan and Iran (and other countries) whose voice is daily silenced.

According to Karma Nirvana there are 12 'honour based' killings in the UK per year.

I'm quite shocked by that. It's a killing of one person (some are men) a month.

Yes, it looks to be mostly women but some (I think mostly homosexual) men.

It is shocking and cannot be brushed off as a non-issue. If this is actual murders, what is the scale of other abuse?

Agreed. Surely it cannot be argued that they were happy to be killed because they freely chose that aspect of their culture?

😂

It's worse than that, I'm afraid.

https://www.haloproject.org.uk/honour-based-violence-W21page-3

'Nationally there are approximately 12 -15 reported honour killings per year in the United Kingdom.
14th July marks the national day of remembrance for ‘Britain’s Lost Women’, those who have been murdered by their families in the name of honour.
The statistics do not take into account the many people and school children who are taken abroad and do not return and their whereabouts are unknown. Neither do they reflect the nature of the abuse that can often be non-violent but nonetheless threatening and frightening to the point where you can’t make a single decision about your own life.
National statistics show that South Asian females under the age of 24 are 2 to 3 times more likely to commit suicide than their Caucasian counterparts.
In England there have been a number of female suicides normally by fire and also murders of South Asian women and children.'

In England there have been a number of female suicides normally by fire ...

I remember as a child there were terrible burn victim statistics because of the flammable nature of many traditionally flowing garments. Some were not accidents.

National statistics show that South Asian females under the age of 24 are 2 to 3 times more likely to commit suicide than their Caucasian counterparts.
Doubly shocking. One, that it is true. Two, that I never knew that. My bad, maybe ... but still.

It's always going to be worse than reported in any statistics.

Especially when we're not allowed to talk about it for fear of being branded racist or bigoted in one way or another.

One of the findings in the Casey audit was that the data was completely inadequate often specifically because it had deliberately not been collected either at all or collected in a meaningful way. This was because of lack of will to do so because of the political climate (and the fact seemingly no-one gives a toss about violence and harm to girls).

💯And useless organisations like the BBC did not do due diligence on the stats, even though respectable people were calling foul

Anyone objecting to a blunt, ballsy, doesn't give a fuck woman standing up and pointing all this out, is no friend to women.

Likewise claiming she's doing it for herself her own aggrandisement, her own agenda, or money.

Even suggesting it marks you out, as far as I'm concerned. Whether you like her or not, no one can deny how much danger she has placed herself in, the risks she's taken, and the attacks she has suffered. From being almost trampled to death, to covered in soup and being arrested.

As far as I concerned, if she's standing up for women, she can aggrandise her arse off while she's doing it.

There are two things to consider.

First the abuse, second the cover ups.

National statistics show that South Asian females under the age of 24 are 2 to 3 times more likely to commit suicide than their Caucasian counterparts.

That's a frightening statistic. And the silence around it is even more frightening.

I'm just putting this here for info.
https://dailysceptic.org/2025/07/10/rayner-backs-down-in-islamophobia-free-speech-row/

Angela Rayner has backed down on “secretive” plans for a new definition of Islamophobia, expanding and extending a public consultation on the proposals, after the Free Speech Union threatened legal action. The

The consultation will now run for an extra week and a link for responses to the plans has been made public.

It is, it's absolutely shocking.