Cancellation of WRN NI event at Féile festival.

[SexRealistic]

Did anyone catch up with the cancellation of WRN NIs event at Féile and Phobail festivak today?

Apparently it’s ‘anti trans’ except the event was about women’s voices being heard.

JKR offered to fund….

https://x.com/feilebelfast/status/2079554092397949212?s=46

I think it’s shocking they’ve cancelled them and I’m really disappointed. The festival should be inclusive, yet they’re excluding women’s rights. I hope the WRN can appeal this? Put out a statement?

Depressingly predictable.

https://x.com/ni_wrn/status/2079635843598139461?s=46

I wish I was surprised.

You'd think with the femicide problem they might actually want to promote women's rights.

That's such a good point!
I think Northern Ireland is one of the most dangers places in W Europe for women. But who cares? Clearly not Féile an Phobail - nó 'Féile an Phobail' - seachas na mná -
or the 'Festival of the People'- apart from women.

There's another thread:
Féile an Phobail cancels Women’s Rights Network event over anti-trans concerns | Mumsnet

I've sent a short email to [email protected] pointing out the obvious untruth of their statement that they are 'proud to stand up for the marginalised and attacked', when they exclude a women's rights group, in a place where femicide and VAW&G is such a huge social problem.

Also asking if they've any actual evidence that WRN NI has ever campaigned against the rights of transgender people?

I kept it short and snappy - in both sense of the word!
I think that's more effective than a lecture. They must be very busy organising the festival, and will probably just ignore lengthy communications.
Besides, there's no need to say anything more elaborate than 'women's rights are human rights' - unless An Fhéile [='the festival'] not consider women as fully human.

BTW the headline that NI is 'the most dangerous place in W Europe' is not accurate, there is an updated and corrected table - it's still awful, but 'the most dangerous place...' risks becoming one of those inaccuracies that take on a life of their own and keep getting repeated.

I'm so angry that women's rights are now dubbed 'hate' campaigns. Well done, Amnesty and all the inclusive organisations that are so eager to silence women's self-advocacy. Bring back the scold's bridle for pesky talking females, eh?

It's like it's all out in the open now, isn’t it?

Years and years and years of men in frocks controlling women in Ireland.
Same misogyny, different frocks.

Yes there's already a thread about this, 2 before you started this one!

MN offers a very helpful sort by newest option.

Using this stops endless duplicated threads.

And it has links to info that can be easily read, ie not images of text.

I'm not one bit surprised: the Féile is basically woke-washing for Sinn Féin. It's PR to try and make militant Irish Republicanism seem more like Civic Nationalism.

No political movement in N Ireland is particularly kind to women or interested in the problems that women have been having to deal with in our society both during and post The Troubles.

I'm seriously hoping that WRN take up JKR's offer and sue for discrimination on grounds of belief.

I think they can sue based on sex discrimination alone. It’s a women’s group and they’re valid in law.

That's disappointing but not surprising, it seems the Gender Mafia deployed their usual tacts and the organisation caved in the usual fashion.
I hope they sue, organisations can choose between keyboard warriors and real fines.

100% this.

I had looked down the board quite a way at the time. Apologies for that.

Images of text are included because I don’t use Twitter often and they’ll pull links.

Happy for any other improvement suggestions for posting on MN. 🤓

If they do decide to take legal action, on what basis would it be as the Equality Act doesn't apply in NI? Are GC beliefs protected in the way they are in the rest of the UK? Or as pp said, could they claim discrimination on the grounds of sex?

So they’ve discriminated against WRN NI on the basis of belief and made that public, adding in a libel for good measure?

OK

They're claiming that the WRN campaigns against the rights of the 'trans'community, which is false, so this puts them in the same position that Amnesty have put themselves in, claiming a Women's Right's Network is anti-rights.
It's libellous for sure and it's discrimination against a view that is based in fact and law. The WRN should be able to take action against them, surely.

BBC report, including a comment from Maya:
Féile an Phobail: Women's Rights Network NI 'shocked' after event cancelled

Absolutely fucking shocking and so TIRED of this shit.

I saw someone make a good point elsewhere on socials. That is, if the Feile had just ignored the event and let it happen, it might well have been low profile and not drawn wider attention. But now that's off the table.

I agree 100% about WRN, but I'm not so negative about An Fhéile as a concept: I'm all for turning the militant form of a political position into a civic form, I wish there was more of it in the world🌎

There was a discussion on talkback this afternoon with the leader of WRN. They are open to being reinstated and say they don’t want to take legal action (as basically Feile couldn’t afford it). It sounds like a very reactionary decision by an Feile and they hadn’t even informed WRN before their public statement.