Demonstration against Let Women Speak Oxford

[IwantToRetire]

A demonstration organised by the campaign group Let Women Speak (LWS) took place today at Bonn Square. Around 100 counterprotestors also assembled, including members from the Oxford Green Party, Stand Up to Racism, and Oxford for Trans Rights (O4TR).
https://www.cherwell.org/2025/10/18/oxford-trans-counterprotest-women/

Event was https://www.letwomenspeak.org/event-details/let-women-speak-oxford-2

Um, yeah. But here you are conflating a right-wing fundamentalist government with Islam itself. That's wrong.

Just as conflating Netanyahu's genocidal policies with Judaism is wrong.

I will say it again: there are many socially liberal, feminist, gay-friendly Muslims. Look at the mayor of London for instance?

How is this not obvious?!

@cowleycyclist But here you are conflating a right-wing fundamentalist government with Islam itself.

And you are conflating socially liberal, 'feminist', gay-friendly Muslims with Islam itself.
How is this not obvious?!

I'm not sure why you think that all manner of groups of people are only now attending LWS events.

There is zero link between KJK attending a march and rowdy blokes attending Oxford's LWS event. Because it's happened for years.

www.spiked-online.com/2023/03/10/is-it-now-far-right-to-be-a-feminist/amp/

Sigh. No. I'm saying that 'Islam' comprises a vast spectrum of beliefs, just as 'Christianity' comprises a vast spectrum of beliefs. Some Muslims hold appalling views. Some Christians hold appalling views. However, it is wrong to take any part of the spectrum of beliefs and assert that it is representative of the religion as a whole.

So if a Muslim leader is participating in an LGBTQI+ protest, it's wrong of KJK to tell him that he's anti-woman just because he's holding a copy of the Qu'ran.

HTH.

Racists attend KJK's events because she is showing herself to be friendly to racists. It's as simple as that.

@NoWordForFluffy What's happened for years?

Do you think it's a good look for the counter-protest to be organised by the SWP, with their branded signs all over it?

Do you feel in the slightest bit queasy about the "liberal" side of the argument having a large presence of rape defenders?

Do you think some of these people might - just possibly - be looking for a socially acceptable way to vent misogyny?

Or do we all have to ignore this because it's in a good cause?

And a Muslim cleric attends an anti-woman TQI+ event because he is showing himself to be friendly to anti-women TQI+ demonstrators

Edit to add the Q. Can't forget the Qs😁

Do you generally struggle with comprehension?

You claimed that flag shaggers are now attending LWS events because KJK attended a march organised by Tommy Robinson.

That's bollocks, as knobheads like that have turned up at her events for years, purely to try to hijack the event / get publicity. Like in Australia (see references earlier in the thread).

No. Saying shit like that bankrupted an Oz politician (see earlier in the thread).

Thanks for the knee-jerk characterization but, no not anti-Muslim.

I'd class myself as anti- anything to do with blasphemy laws. Also, I wasn't talking about the Taliban - Brunei, Nigeria, Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia all have blasphemy laws with varying degrees of punishment, including death.

Same thing goes for GI. Believe in GI if you want but don't force me to comply with the rules of your religion.

Well maybe next time, instead of trying to belittle and have an argument, you could have said that was the case. But hey why be nice to someone.

Look, I agree with you, nothing makes me livid like anti-blasphemy laws.

I just think it's important to recognise that those laws are imposed by totalitarian governments, not by individuals.

I'm 100% sure that Dr Ramzy isn't bothered by the fact that we've shelved his copy of the Qu'ran in our house instead of venerating it. When we chat outside the Cowley Road Tesco, he seems pretty chilled.

To me the important thing is not to attribute one face to Islam (any more than we would attribute one face to Christianity or to Judaism).

And when it comes to gender, yes, I'm a trans-inclusive feminist, but you're welcome to disagree with me if you want to.

Well @cowleycyclist I'm sure we are all hoping that your moderate face of Islam wins out over the fundamentalist face. Anything that you can do to encourage that with your chats outside Tesco would be welcome.

Try to respect us enough to not call us 'trans-exclusive' though. That is a poor description of where we are and suggests demonisation rather than dialogue.

I did say that in the post you didn't understand. 🤷‍♀️

No, it isn't "discrimination" just because a counter-protest has a larger turnout.

I thought posters on here would have a good grasp on what discrimination means legally given every other thread mentions it.

Well indeed. And so what?
There were numerous shout outs to KJK at the battle of ideas, every time to massive applause. She speaks to and for a lot of women.

Weird. The poster you're quoting didn't mention discrimination! 🤷‍♀️

This took place very near my work so I listened carefully to see what my colleagues were making of it.

1.It was described as an "anti-trans/far-right" rally by a good few people. Whether we think that's fair or not the association is there.

2.One colleague said "it was really funny, all the ones who were on the trans side came over as really masculine and the other side seemed quite polite" She'd been over to chat to both sides apparently.

She didn't say this with any expectation that anyone would take offence and would probably be surprised to learn that this was controversial or that she was GC or transphobic. A useful reminder that many people have no idea there are things they "shouldn't" say.

3.One customer while asking about work happened to mention the rally and said excitedly. "It's antifa so they'll have this off me" - pointing to a hat he was wearing with a Union Jack on it. He was Black yet feared being attacked by the side associated with the Left.

All in all, quite a reminder of how people's views are shaped so much by various confused messages they're receiving from the media.

How we actually have sensible political debate in this environment I do not know.

Well I don't need to do anything re Dr Ramzy, because he's not a fundamentalist, full stop.

Trans-exclusionary seems fair enough to me... because you exclude trans women from the category of women, right? The term gender critical strikes me as a misnomer, because feminists have been critical of the notion of gender for many decades. I'm personally extremely critical of the notion of gender. But being critical of the notion of gender doesn't mean dismissing it, nor does it mean insisting on a binary opposition between gender and sex.

And I asked, without any kind of patronising tone. Some of us manage it.

Transwomen are men so of course they're excluded from the category of women.

Transmen are women so included in the women's category

Not trans exclusionary but men exclusionary

Well I don't need to do anything re Dr Ramzy, because he's not a fundamentalist, full stop.

If he is not a fundamentalist then I hope he feels a responsibility to ensure that the fundamentalists do not come to dominate. I'm sure he would appreciate your clear encouragement and support in that endeavour.

@cowleycyclist
What spannasaurus said