Trans activists gatecrash womens rights rally as they protest speech by Kellie-Jay Keen at Let Women Speak event in the home of suffragette Emily Davison
Trans activists gatecrashed a womens rights rally held in the hometown of suffragette Emily Davison today.
Trans activists gatecrashed a womens rights rally held in the hometown of suffragette Emily Davison today.
Around 70 women gathered in Carlisle Park, Morpeth, Northumberland, this afternoon for a Let Women Speak (LWS) event, spearheaded by womens rights campaigner Kellie-Jay Keen, aka Posie Parker.
But they were met by counter demonstrators shouting through megaphones, who wore masks, waved flags and held placards which read: Transwomen are women.
The organised Let Women Speak events, which take place across the country, see women take to the stage to talk about a variety of issues that affects them.
Speakers are known for their gender-critical views and the group campaigns against biological males using female-only spaces.
The two groups were separated by a line of more than 20 police officers this afternoon.
Organiser of LWS, Posie Parker, took the microphone and said: Some women are coming to speak using some words, and some spoiled brats are trying to stop us.
We just want to speak about our rights. We want to speak about our spaces, our sports, our children, our safety.
Police form a line in-between a group of women gathered for the Let Women Speak event and counter-demonstrators (pictured)
Kellie-Jay Keen (pictured) on the stage at the Let Women Speak event today
Two women holding up banners at the Let Women Speak event today
The group of trans activists holding flags and a banner which reads Transwomen are women
Those people over there are from the elites and are trying to shut us up.
Most of us are from relatively normal families who have to pay a mortgage, pay bills.
They havent sent us to a nice university to mess around with our fees and our grants and to come and harass middle-aged women.
During the speeches, the counter protestors shouted: Youre not radical, youre just d***heads.
They blew whistles in an attempt to drown out the gathering and also shouted get off the stage and get some new material.
As Ms Parker took the microphone, she was branded a fascist by the counter group.
A handful of women spoke about issues including schools, womens rights and the concept of being non-binary.
Several police officers holding the line between a group of women gathered and trans activists
The speeches took place overlooking the statue of Emily Davison — a social activist who spent time living in Northumberland and campaigned for womens right to vote
Police officers keeping the peace at the event today
The speeches took place overlooking the statue of Emily Davison — a social activist who spent time living in Northumberland and campaigned for womens right to vote in the early 20th Century.
She is arguably most famous, however, for throwing herself in front of the Kings Horse at the Epsom Derby in 1913 in a final attempt to bring about change.
Whether this was by martyring herself, to disrupt the race, or to attach a suffragette flag to the horses bridle, it is unclear.
Davison later died from her injuries. Her grave is located at a church nearby.
LWS supporter Liz Panton, who stood to be an MP with the Party of Women at the most recent General Election, was thrilled with the turn out of supporters today.
The 69-year-old said: Women are excluding themselves from things.
There are some who wont go to women-only swimming classes now because there are men in there now. They wont go to their gym because there are men in the changing rooms.
A woman seen delivering a speech at the Let Women Speak event this afternoon
The Let Women Speak event took place in Carlisle Park, Morpeth, Northumberland, this afternoon
Counter-protesters waved flags and held banners at the event this afternoon
There is a gradual removal from women in the public space because there are men who say they are women.
Liz added: It was hard work to help organise this but we are very pleased with the turnout.
I went out putting leaflets through womens doors and they were asking us what we were doing.
They all said it was about bloody time we were doing this. A lot of women know whats going on but they dont know what to do about it.
I wish the counter protestors would listen. They make a lot of noise because they dont want to hear us.
I dont think they have the faintest idea what were talking about.
Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull aka Posie Parker, a womens rights activist, hosts a gathering in Hyde Park on July 30 2023
During her address to the crowd Ms Parker also discussed policing issues and thanked the officers in attendance.
There will be times three officers are sent to genuine crimes horrific scenes, she said.
They shouldnt have to stand in a park so that we can speak. That is absolutely insane.
Turning to the counter group, she added: We cant hear you. You need to upgrade to better sound equipment.
You need to do just one days work and then you can afford a sound system like Ive got. Theyre not even audible but they send their best every time.
