In which Amnesty jumps the shark

[WrongKindOfFeminist]

A report on 'anti gender actors' from Amnesty appears to be a puzzling work of jumbled nonsense and overwrought fiction.

Either they completely fail to grasp what 'gender critical' means, or they are deliberately trying desperately to bundle it in with Xtian rightwing US organisations. Maybe both.

Trans activists have been accusing UK feminists of being rightwing Xtian US fundamentalist funded for years. Sometimes it's funny, more often it's just fucking tedious.

Anyway.

'An organised anti-rights movement targeting the rights of women and LGBT+ people is growing in the UK. Over 60% of the organisations mapped have emerged since 2017, the vast majority gender critical organisations'

What the everloving fuck do they think they mean, here?

Feminists 'target' the rights of women? In terms of - feminists have fought long and hard for the rights of women? Yes, well done, Amnesty.

Then they whang on a lot about abortion and well funded US rightwing organisations, including religious groups, etc.

And then ...

'In fact, gender critical organisations only account for 2.5% of total expenditure but have been remarkably successful in realising their agenda through strategic litigation and campaigning.'

Will you ever actually use your brains, Amnesty?

The list at the end should give them a wee clue. Dozens of feminist organisations, almost all listed as 'informal', yet lumped in bizarrely with massive US anti abortion groups.

Idiots.

www.amnesty.org.uk/knowledge-hub/all-resources/report-a-growing-threat-the-anti-rights-movement-in-the-uk-july-2026/

She’s given two podcast interviews about it and she’s very proud of it.

So disappointed with Amnesty. I used to just implicitly trust that they were on the right side of whatever issue they were campaigning for. Seeing them be so wrong on this issue makes me question their position on other things that I know less about. Maybe it’s a good thing. Can no longer just assume that because Amnesty says something, that it’s right. Have to actually use critical thinking rather than just supporting them.

Keep up at the back there. It wasn't my sarcasm that you missed. And if you want people to believe that you spotted the sarcasm, you'll have to work a bit harder on your reply.

This is a good one.

To be fair, SheelaNaGigs are quite startling on first encounter..

I feel I have been missing out on SheelaNaGig and Merkin crochet sessions. Do you think they crocheted SheelaNaGigs as well as Merkins? Or was it more of a "Top Ten SheelaNaGigs" tour, or art appreciation evening?

And cheese tasting, dammit.

Does anybody know?

It does sound bloody brilliant.

crocheted sheelas would be brilliant.

I know some good crocheters, and we have some local models. Must have a think.

Im thinking papier mache.

3D printing would be Technology rather than Craft, I suppose.

Sad times. And I mean that without irony. I used to run a local Amnesty group back in the day. At that time Amnesty had a considered policy of not running specific campaigns in country , because of the obvious problems that could ensue for the campaign organisers and supporters in many parts of the world.

They did however make an exception and ran a UK based campaign about violence against women in the UK. It was I think one of the very first campaigns which targeted the issues of VAWG, asked questions about the support given to women facing domestic violence by the police, and I think led to changes in the way that abusers could be charged and held accountable. I was proud of being part of that campaign.

I stopped being an active Amnesty supporter some time ago when it became clear that far from supporting women they were ignoring the problems many women were expressing about how womens rights were being eroded.

And now this.

As I said. Sad Times.

Yes, used to be AI policy not to allow campaigns in relevant country. That was certainly the case back when I used to fundraise. It made sense, especially around contentious issues.

It did mean I was never really aware of what AI were doing in the UK, and I did hear sometimes people who were very angry at AI UK campaigns as they thought they were on the wrong political side, but as a UK supporter I wasn't aware of them at all.

Yes, good call. Papier Mache on chicken wire. If it goes well, clay later.

I thought Amnesty had gone mad when they revoked Navalny’s support because he had said some things they didn’t agree with. But this is just nuts. Don’t they have better things to do with their time and money?

No, they are sending their brightest and best. This is it.

That's why, as a movement, they rely on threats and violence.

ThisIsn'tWorking reckons's Amnesty's finished.

This is what happens when an organisation spends years treating its best people so badly that they all leave - and replacing them with know-nothing activists. Adios, Amnesty.

x.com/IsntWorkingPod/status/2076785724301443185

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp8r8l84p8yo

Actually a balanced piece from Beeb.

I realise I have misunderstood this cartoon, but my first thought was of this Amnesty business!

And I’m googling I found the pronunciation of Beira, Scottish winter goddess, is Bye-ra.

Were we discussing that here? I can’t keep the threads straight!

From the article "Rowling, herself a survivor of domestic violence, set up and funded Beira's Place after a row over the management of the Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre which at the time was being run by a transgender woman."
Ohhh, I 'member!
Memories of Mirdul Wadhwa, a man in charge of a rape centre who told women they should reframe their trauma for not wanting to be around men after rape. Criticised heavily in the Employment Tribunal for a heresy hunt against Roz Adams. Roz won. Mirdul never testified if I remember correctly. Didn't have the balls. A puppet master pulling the strings behind the scenes. Hiding from responsibility.
My how time passes. Here's JKR giving the middle finger to yet another men's rights activist movement. AI UK should pay notice to the long trail of legal corpses JKR leaves in her wake. What difference would one more make to someone who has already skewered so many?

Needlefelt would work well too.

I'm favouring textiles, partly because although the original sculptors were (probably) men, the subject is female and textiles are a female thing. Also some of the originals are pretty big, and a full scale crochet (or knit or felt of patchwork) version would be easier to transport than papier mache. And I know good textile workers.

I will be going to a meeting shortly (five of us sitting round a pub table yakking our heads off while we eat but somehow emerging with an action plan, Go Us), and may mention the concept as a next-year project.

You’re right. He left it all to the hapless handmaidens.

The Global Amnesty International have disowned AI UK, I think when your own parent company wants nothing to do with you it might be time to shut up shop. 😂

All though I suspect that the parent company is trying to do damage control, so they don't end up having to foot the bill when people start suing.

Not sure that’s going to fly unless they completely chuck them under the bus.