Sex workers excluded at IWD march London
on March 9, 2008
Category: London, Britain, Feminism, Racism
The “Million women rise” march organised as part of the IWD event in London and supposed to be a day of solidarity between women and women’s group from across Britain ended with one group of women being silenced. The march started in Hyde Park and ended in a rally in Trafalgar Square. Whilst other women spoke about domestic violence, Iraq, Zimbabwe and expressed solidarity with women from everywhere on a range of issues one group were excluded. As poet and activist, Jean Binta Breeze stood on stage and read two of her poems on violence against women.
Across the square two members of the organising committee were informing one woman that she would no longer be allowed to speak.
Terisa Mackay of the Solidarity 1st Coalition to Decriminalise Prostitution based in Ipswich and who is also a member of the TGWU.
Terisa was due to speak about sex workers in Ipswich and how the women women were coming to terms with the murders and conviction of serial killer, Steve Wright, trying to return to their work and lives. Just before she was due to speak Terisa was informed that the organisers had changed their minds and she would no longer be able to speak. This decision was taken on the basis that two of the organising committee members did not approve of her speech and rather than challenge the two women they agreed to their decision.
What was supposed to be “a show of political, social, economic and creative solidarity.” was anything but that as I personally witnessed acts of verbal and physical violence from one group of women against another.
Ushers called in reinforcements to line up in front of the stage to prevent women from the various groups such as the English Collective of Prostitutes, Women Against Rape, All Africa’s Group’s Campaign and the Black Women’s Rape Project and their supporters from accessing the stage to express their disgust with the organisers decision.
They were further prevented from using their loudspeaker system and one of their members who was filming was attacked by another woman from the crowd. I witnessed all of the above plus women shouting that the sex workers should not be allowed to speak and one of them calling my friend a “black bitch”.
I and my friends and colleagues left, what had started out as a march of solidarity - or so we thought at the beginning- with not just a sense of frustration and disgust but the realisation that the words RESPECT and SOLIDARITY were not in the vocabulary of some of the women attending the march and rally. Whilst they were prepared to listen to Middle Eastern and African women about violence, rape and prostitution, they were not prepared to listen to sex workers in their own cities and country not to speak of the vulgar racism spouting out of their mouths. Clearly for some attending the march, sex workers were not entitled to respect, solidarity or a voice and Black women were bitches!
How safe to stand up in London and shout support for the “other” not on your doorstep yet when you are face to face with the presence of sex workers and women of colour you try to silence them and scream “not in my backyard”!
Criminalisation and marginalisation of Sex Workers
Andrea Spyropoulos 10 minute talk at meeting held by the Safety First Coalition at the Houses of Parliament, London, 17 October 2007 — versus the increased criminalisation of sex-work in the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill
UPDATE LATER
The International Prostitutes Collective have published Terisa MacKay’s banned speech.
Tags:
Sex Workers
Million Women Rise
International Women’s Day
London
Jean “Binta” Breeze
Trackback URL for this post:
http://www.blacklooks.org/2008/03/sex_workers_excluded_at_iwd_march_london.html/trackback
22 Comments so far
1. Louise
March 9th, 2008 at 8:10 pm
Hi,
I too was at the demo yesterday and was appalled that this woman was denied a platform. It made me very angry. I went with other women to complain and nobody from the organising committee would listen.
As one woman said to me, “all women are equal except sex workers”…
I hope official complaints will be made!
I have have written about it on
www.socialistunity.com
2. Carol
March 9th, 2008 at 9:52 pm
Wow! I am glad that there were women there who were prepared to stand up for the Sex Workers but who are these other cretins who decided it was in their power to decide against the Sex Workers talking and what was their rationale? It could not have happened at a more sensitive time. Please keep us posted on how this situation unfolds. Really sorry to hear your news.
3. littleangel
March 9th, 2008 at 10:26 pm
As a steward on the event my experience of the protest was very different. I was spat at, had objects thrown at me and was verbally abused and told I deserved to die violently (they were more specific) for doing a job, as a volunteer, that I was asked to do. Now photos of myself and other stewards are being circulated on the internet. Sadly the racism was just directed at the protest group. I heard people who appear to have been with the protestors loudly shouting that Kurdish women deserved to be stoned to death for ignoring the bible. (I say appeared to be because I am fully open to being told that wasn’t the case, if, as I suspect, it was the same person/people they may just have been a lone loose cannon).
Thing is I am one feminist who would wholeheartedly support the need for a speaker repesenting sex workers. But I now feel very ambivalent about what happened. I was a volunteer and a steward with a disability and I was attacked for doing a job.
4. yepandyep
March 9th, 2008 at 10:50 pm
Are these the woman that are concerned about violence to everyone or just themselves?
Can anyone say how Steve Wright become a rapist and killer, did he learn it from his mother?
How did she mother him?
5. Sokari
March 9th, 2008 at 11:25 pm
Littleangel@ I do not know who spat and threw objects at you but it was not a member of our collection of groups. Nor did I see anyone throwing objects at stewards or anyone else either for that matter.
From what you are saying it sounds like the same people protesting against the sex workers were the ones protesting against the Kurdish women -
Carol & Louise @ I am sure the issue will continue to be discussed and hopefully official complaints will be made. I think it useful to also find out who these women were that felt the need to attack those supporting sex workers as well as Kurdish women and who knows what other groups they were there to attack.
It certainly WAS NOT any member of those supporting the sex workers from Ipswich ie “The English collective of Prostitutes”, Women of Colour Against Rape, Women Against Rape and the All Africa Groups Campaign.
6. SOCIALIST UNITY » International Women's Day demo
March 10th, 2008 at 11:01 am
[…] also a good post at Blacks Looks about […]
7. littleangel
March 10th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
I am really sorry but the person who spat at me (more than once) was stood with the ECP banner. It happened as I was moving from my previous duty to be by the stage because I’d been asked to. As I walked past the crowd by the ECP banner I was spat at twice, once landing in my hair and once on my face. I’d love to believe they weren’t with the ECP but its a stretch of the imagination. Similarly objects *were* thrown at the stewards from around the same protest area, mostly paper but also some other stuff. And I had fists waved in my face and threats to (less politely) immolate me. We had people in our faces trying to get a rise out of us by making us seem heavy handed for just standing there. I also know stewards photos are being circulated across the internet now with various threats attached (I’ve been forwarded some after a friend spotted me in them).
Like I say maybe these are being doing by loose canons, I’d certainly like to think so. I do know by the time I was asked to help things had reached a fever pitch which I, as a former registered security person, find difficult to understand. But what I saw and experienced was threatening behaviour directed at people just doing a job and an entire failure to negotiate which put some of us at risk. Just because you didn’t see it doesn’t mean it didn’t happen - every steward was a volunteer, we were all just doing our best and helping out. We certainly didn’t deserve the treatment we got.
8. Sokari
March 10th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
littleangel @ I am forwarding your comment to the ECP and hopefully we can sort this out and find out what happened. Of course just because I didnt see it doesnt mean it didnt happen. I am simply saying I did not see those things happen. And no you did not deserve to be treated in that way if that is what happened to you.
9. littleangel
March 10th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
Thanks Sokari, I was surprised too because, to be honest, other ECP protests I’ve seen have been calm and collected. Obviously tempers were frayed at MWR for whatever reason.
I know many of the stewards felt very conflicted about the situation but we had a job to do. I have to admit to be confused as to why it wasn’t all finalised and sorted before the actual day of the march which is why the comment that members of committee did not agree with the speech confuses me - surely speakers had been asked for roughly what they would cover in advance and surely any committee objections would have been dealt with long before the march day itself.
It would be interesting to hear, now and with the clarity of hindsight, what both sides felt had happened with the hope that things can be learnt from and the positive spirit of collaboration flourishes again.
10. Sex workers excluded at IWD march London « The Blog and the Bullet
March 11th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
[…] by Jack Stephens on March 11, 2008 Sokari blogs about the International Women’s Day march in London and the exclusion of organized sex workers from the march: I and my friends and […]
11. Sex workers excluded at IWD march London « The Mustard Seed
March 11th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
[…] blogs about the International Women’s Day march in London and the exclusion of organized sex workers from the march: I and my friends and […]
12. Josephine Baker
March 11th, 2008 at 8:37 pm
“Little Angel” claims stewards were attacked, spat at and missiles thrown. How strange that no other person saw this. But it was evident to all that when women with the “Prosecute rapists and racists . . .” banner tried, in a gap between speakers, to announce that an advertised speaker on safety for prostitute women in Ipswich had been dropped, they were attacked. Several white women leapt in, grabbing the sound system. Failing, one jumped on the back of Black woman — talk about Black women’s burden! Another woman was racially abused. Security tried to stop this, some later took off their vests in disgust at the organisers, who did nothing to intervene. Later the police were called. It was a set-up with some women determined to provoke violence.
Now those who were attacked have wild accusations made against them of being the attackers. That is exactly how the police operate: when Black people defend ourselves from police attacks, we are accused of being violent and aggressive and even charged with assault. As Sokari says, some only listen to women of colour speaking about violence, rape and prostitution if we are away in other countries and not here making demands to speak for ourselves. When sex workers and their supporters are excluded (a number of meetings recently have banned sex worker groups) immigrant and women of colour are also silenced — our families’ and communities often depend on sex work for survival, including for us and our children to escape war, starvation and other violence.
13. Big Cherry
March 12th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
In response to little angel - I was one of the women holding the ECP banner the whole time people were protesting about Ms MacKay from Ipswich being banned from speaking. I certainly never spat or threw objects at anyone and didn’t see any one around us do it either. I WAS right there and it did not happen!
Our people were protesting about Ms MacKay being banned and trying to protect our equipment from being attacked. We kept holding the banner up because we wanted prostitute women to be visible while the censorship was going on.
Big Cherry
14. Women's Space
March 12th, 2008 at 11:04 pm
55th Carnival of Feminists is Up and a Question about the Million Women Rise Event…
The 55th Carnival of Feminists is up at Penny Red’s place.
A question for UK radical feminists: were any of you present for the Million Women Rise event in London? Or do you have friends who were present, or friends who have friends who…
15. littleangel
March 17th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
In response to Josephine Butler and to Big Cherry.
How terribly sad that your responses are I must be lying (cf Black Cherry’s “it did not happen!”. I started out by making clear I supported Teresa’s right to speak, that stewards felt conflicted about the situation and that I would love to be told it wasn’t someone with the protest group but just someone close by.
But no, obviously I must be lying. I am really just saddened by that response. Apparently I must also be a white racist who beats other women up.
I don’t condone any violence that happened that day from any side and will always remain resolute in that.
16. Sudy
March 19th, 2008 at 5:25 am
Hi Sokari,
Thank you for this post. I was really, really moved by it. I included your words on this incident in a short film project I just made. If you have a moment, check it out. It’s on my blog.
Thanks again!
17. Sokari
March 19th, 2008 at 10:47 am
Checked it, loved it and blogged it
18. atheist
March 21st, 2008 at 10:46 am
Are these the woman that are concerned about violence to everyone or just themselves?
Can anyone say how Steve Wright become a rapist and killer, did he learn it from his mother?
How did she mother him?
Troll harder, yepandyep. You don’t sound stupid enough yet.
19. A funeral march for protest « Mind the Gap
March 24th, 2008 at 11:44 am
[…] we’re hearing from Sokari at Black Looks (linked from the Carnival of Feminists at Pennyred and mentioned by Sudy in her latest episode of […]
20. Black Looks
March 25th, 2008 at 9:21 pm
[…] ways of spreading their vice”. Sounds like he should get together with the organisers of the Million Woman March here in London - “We call it a vice because in Uganda it’s an illegality which is […]
21. acolyte
March 26th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
They are white and relatively well to do, most of you colored and not as well to do as them. It was only a matter of time before feelings of white supremacy kicked in, I think its hard wired among most white folk.
22. Peacefulsoldier
April 21st, 2008 at 2:44 am
This was the MWR mantra’s chant divised on the MWR Day of Action 1st March.
One Woman, One Body One Love One Song
It’s no secret feel of voice,
sistas united,
Let’s rejoice
I was also a steward and on the organising committee of the MWR March against violence on IWD.I helped organise the fundraisers for MWR and the Day of Action the 1st March and the steward training on that day.I also approached many trade unions who gave substantial financial and inkind support for the MWR March . I was surprised when I along with other stewards brought the march to Trafalga Square and then saw the violence that occurred between two women.
I blame a few women on the MWR committee for hijacking the MWR March and causing this violence. They rose that day to silence women from speaking or having their views represented . By not allowing longstanding trade unionist Teresa MacKay to speak they enabled the confusion litteAngel spoke of and disunited to fester. This was no doubt a risk to health and safety on an otherwise peaceful women only protest. Their claim that Teresa never submitted her speech is a outright lie as I have email proof that Teresa email her speech to for interpretation and that she was an agreed speaker at the rally.
Furthermore, if you look at the speakers list on the Millionwomenrise.com website you will still see Teresa is up as a speaker at the MWR rally! Once agreed as a speaker Teresa had no obligation whatsoever to have her speech vetted for palitability by this clique. It is they who I blame for the violence.
I also arranged for International Federation of Women’s Institutes to speak and Jean Binta Breeze to grace the stage (Jean was unable to submit her speech prior to the rally!)
@at Little Angel why the abivilance towards sex workers right to speak…Like you say you work security if like you claim you were spat at at a night club does that mean you don’t work at night clubs anymore?
@ those all to ready to blame the ECP for the violence presumably for not just shutting up when they are told to by the professional feminists.
Why not listen to people you disagree with? I do. Why do you give your passive support to censorship? Julie Bindel was also down to speak, I disagree with her take on most things, however, I supported her invite as a speaker.
@the mantra’s . I feel saddened that I spent the best part of 6 months working on the MWR march only so a fringe could hijack the spirit of the march. Whilst devising these mantra’s and mouthing the words they really have no clue how to implement them.