Now @MForstater has taken the stage. She describes the "amazing" moment when @jk_rowling retweeted about her case. Her win in court has set a precedent in the row on gender #WomensRally
Now up, @HJoyceGender. She bemoans the legal regression in Ireland. "Children are lied to and it's law". She is struggling to hold back tears as she talks about rapists in women's prisons #WomensRally
"Only the foolish would consider taking on angry women. Especially Scottish, angry women". #WomensRally
And we're done. Lots of powerful speeches today. I'll hopefully get them up on my YouTube channel this evening. Subscribe at YouTube.com/gspellchecker to be notified. #WomensRally
A few quick thoughts:
📌 Crowd was at least double the size of the last protest I covered here
📌 Not a single counter-protestor
📌 No hate. No transphobia. Just women passionately defending rights for themselves and others (including trans people)
📌 Good-humoured #WomensRally
📼CLIP:
"The people they are getting advice from appear to be amateurs!"
Bad actors will try to make you believe the organised 'gender critical' movement is comprised mostly of bigoted, far-right blokes. It isn't. The campaigning is coming from mothers, sisters, grandmas and any woman that believes their rights are under attack.
Those of us that have dipped our toe in this conflict over the years have witnessed Hamas/Islamic Jihad friendly fire confirmed time and time again. Usually a little while after every outlet had pointed the finger at the IDF.
These latest claims from Israel need to be independently verified of course, but to run with Hamas's claims as though they are fact betrays a lack of knowledge (or care) for how this conflict always plays out.
Israel-Hamas war: Israel says it will release evidence which it claims shows an Islamic Jihad rocket hit the Gaza hospital
This is from 2001, where apparently around 430 Hamas rockets fell short and landed in the Gaza strip
Some women want to speak some words in Liverpool, so naturally the police are having to separate masked wearing blokes from getting to them #LetWomenSpeak
#LetWomenSpeakLiverpool
Watching masked men desperate to get through mostly middle-aged female stewards, because they are so incensed about what they might say, is a sight to behold #LetWomenSpeakLiverpool
There has been a lot of rumour and speculation in regards to who would be the subject of an upcoming episode of the investigative current affairs programme 'Dispatches'.
It has been revealed that it will focus on Russell Brand and include some serious accusations of a criminal nature.
I've enjoyed Brand's comedy here and there. I found his far-left "bring on the revolution" phase a bit embarrassing. But I'm less impressed by what he has become since: a peddler of dangerous conspiracy theories to an audience of very online people duped into thinking Brand is 'just asking the questions' that 'they' don't want him to.
When in reality, those of us that haven't fell into the rabbit hole can see he is simply just mining a surplus of credulity for clicks.
Brand has already tried to get ahead of the game. Unsurprisingly he claims a coordinated conspiracy by 'the media' because he is out there telling the people the 'truth'.
I don't know the full extent of the accusations against him. I'll be keeping an open, critical mind when watching Dispatches this evening and weighing them up on the evidence provided.
Join me for a tweet-a-long at 9pm (UK time)
#Dispatches
Russell Brand denies 'serious, disturbing, criminal allegations' and insists all his relationships were 'always consensual' - ahead of mystery Channel 4 Dispatches investigation set to air today | Daily Mail Online
Here is Russell Brand's full response ahead of the Dispatches investigation which will air on channel four tonight, 9pm UK.
Never forget: when women were taken from their homes by the police, had their electronic devices seized, clothes searched and held in a cell for an *accusation* that they *may have posted something mean on the internet*, this is how @PinkNews covered it.
I don't know a whole lot about Caroline Farrow except that she seems to be a staunch Catholic. I probably disagree with her on almost every 'spiritual' & political issue. However, if you can't uphold principles when it comes to those you don't like, then you don't have principles
I'm pro-police. It's an incredibly difficult, dangerous & thankless job. Armchair critics have zero concept of violent crime and the dark underbelly of society they deal with day to day. But so long as they continue to arrest for "offensive speech", public trust will be lost.
“We are all free to believe whatever we wish. What we are not free to do is compel others to believe the same thing, to silence those who disagree with us or to force others to deny reality"
“Human beings cannot change sex. It is not hateful to say that; in fact it is important in order to treat everyone fairly and safely. It shouldn’t take courage to say this, and no one should lose their job for doing so"
I'm in my home city of Manchester this afternoon. @StandingforXX is due to speak at 1pm. A sizeable counter-protest has already gathered. Fingers crossed for a peaceful afternoon
A number of men dressed in black with face coverings are embedded within the counter-protest.
Not sure where the gender critical contingent are going to set up and speak, given the Emmeline P
ankhurst statue appears to have been occupied