Standing for Women Event
POLICE POLICY, PROTESTS & COMMENTARY
Why did the police fail to protect women in Bristol?
GRAHAM LINEHAN – 21 June 2022 – The Glinner Update
From Kellie Jay’s statement.
“We refute the claims made by some media and the Avon and Somerset police that there was bad behaviour on “both sides”. Aggressive and threatening men, on the MRA/TRA side, were very close to our wardens and attendees. They shouted obscenities in the faces of women and they tried to push through the police line, there were physical confrontations by men in masks.
Our communications lead, Iris, had worked very hard to inform the police about the sort of male aggression and violence women may encounter. She was, frankly, ignored. This was particularly striking following our event in Manchester. The policing in Bristol was inadequate and dangerous. The male aggression and intimidation women experienced in Bristol was revolting. Women were told to die, get in the sea by threatening men in masks.
Women were asked by the police to go home, rather than enjoy refreshments in a bar we had hired. Apparently the police can choose to protect women on the basis of whether or not we are eating or drinking, as a senior officer told me that the police were not here to protect us in the pub. The Slug and Lettuce, St.Nicholas Street, Bristol decided to close rather than continue serving joyful and peace loving women due to the male aggressors surrounding the venue. The police did not disperse the agitators and maintained that they could not guarantee our safety.”
So how did it come about that police failed to adequately protect women in Bristol?
It’s a complete mystery. Or maybe it isn’t…
A mob threatening women is not a ‘protest’ – and police in Bristol should have known that
IAN ACHESON – 20 June 2022 – CapX
Back in the noughties, before Police and Crime Commissioners existed, I was the senior Home Office official in South West England holding Chief Constables to account on behalf of the Home Secretary.
My patch included Avon and Somerset, where I had many entertaining conversations with the then Chief Constable Colin Port about the vagaries of central government targets. Nonetheless, unlike his current successor, Colin understood the centrality of one of those targets – public confidence.
Last weekend, according to the bizarre and self-congratulatory press release from Bristol’s finest, Avon and Somerset’s police officers facilitated two protests by two different groups. There might have been a bit of shouting from both sides but, the statement piously ends, ‘fundamental democratic rights’ were protected all round. Home for tea and medals!
This comes as news to those who were actually there. To recap, the gender critical collective ‘Standing For Women’ announced that they would hold an event called ‘Let Women Speak’ on Bristol’s College Green. Another group, ‘Bristol Against Hate’ organised a counter protest to coincide with this event stating ‘Right-wing agitators intend to host a transphobic rally. We are clear: trans rights are human rights and these rights will be defended.’
What transpired on the ground – as seen in dozens of different video clips shared on social media – was a small group of women besieged by an ugly, baying mob of protestors determined to stop them exercising their democratic right to gather and discuss issues that matter to them.
In particular, several masked males, dressed in black antifa chic, screamed obscenities at the women and behaved in such a confrontational way that the inadequate police response was forced to stand in the middle, largely to prevent the aptly named ‘Black Pampers’ from physically attacking women…