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

Flickr set: IWD

UPDATE LATER

The International Prostitutes Collective have published Terisa MacKay’s banned speech.

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Sex Workers
Million Women Rise
International Women’s Day
London
Jean “Binta” Breeze

*** Pointing the finger at paranoia - Last xmas 5 Black members of a Steel Band (including a blind man) were forcibly removed from a Ryan Air flight from London Standstead to Sardinia because another passenger thought they looked like terrorists. The five were recently awarded £5,000 each - a pathetic sum of money considering the obvious trauma and inconvenience this must have caused them. Contrast this with the £45,000 awarded to French President Nicolas Sarkozy for publishing a picture of him and his wife without their permission.

A flight attendant had also expressed concern about the men. The Mayor’s and City of London Court heard that the band were “scared and embarrassed” when police took them off the plane at Sardinia’s Alghero airport, not least because they were the only black people on the flight. When they requested to be allowed to return to the aircraft, the court was told, the request was turned down by Capt Dunlop, who said there had been “tension” on the plane because of the incident.

[Hat tip:Kikuymoja]

I know a little bit how they must have felt as recently returning from another Euro city to London my passport was checked and rechecked and I was asked various personal questions before I got on the plane. Once on the plane I was again approached by someone in uniform and asked the same questions, had my passport, baggage check and boarding pass examined. I then arrived at London Heathrow and was met by two security men who asked if I was Ms Ekine. Then I was asked to follow them, again my passport was examined, questions asked about where I had been, what for, where I worked, what did I do, where did I live etc. I tried to ask why I was being harassed by three sets of security personnel but they refused to answer. Finally they asked if I was carrying anything for anyone to which I replied look search my bags if you want but I would like to know what all this is about. They then let me go without any explanation - very strange and scary experience.

***The cynic in me loved this piece in the Guardian by Charlie Brooker on “UnValentine’s Day” - more hype (haven’t we had enough of hype with Obama/Clinton same old story? Back to love which Brooks wonderfully describes as

crippling delusion known as “love”….. Valentine’s Day - the only national occasion dedicated to mental illness - is a stressful ordeal at the best of times.

It’s xmas all over again. Having survived the hype and hoorah of the pretence of joy and being with family not to talk of the empty bank account, now the miserable couplings, recently separated, unhappy singles and ecstatic at being on your own but being made to feel you are weird - have to bear the full frontal attack of the red heart. For those in this group, Brooks provides some options for “an Unvalentine’s Day. A day that actively celebrates love’s festering undercarriage. February 15 is ideal:(whilst acknowledging the need of commercial backing so unfortunately there is still a financial cost even in UnValentining):

a) Unvalentine cards containing bitter messages for ex-lovers? Typical example: a mournful cartoon bunny with a harpoon lodged in its chest cavity, staggering blank-faced into oncoming traffic, with YOU RUINED MY LIFE printed across the top in massive, scab-red lettering.

b) [for] disillusioned long-term couples: epithets include I CAN’T TAKE MUCH MORE OF THIS, IT ISN’T REALLY WORKING, and our-bestseller, the starkly effective DYING INSIDE.

c) Unvalentine’s Day can also accommodate all the loves that never were: the thwarted crushes, unrequited yearnings, and hopeless unspoken dreams.

d) Unvalentine meals specially designed for couples on the verge of a break-up.

So I will be celebrating the 15th with a Green balloon for all those who fall into c above - at least I dont have to face them, talk to them just envy whoever they are with and work it all out in the gym! Probably if I did meet them I would be horrified and disappointed anyway so best they stay where they are - hmm this is a bit odd because I cant think of anyone at this moment but I am sure by the 15th I will be able to conjure up at least one person.

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War on Terror
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Valentine’s Day