UN Special Rapporteur for Violence Against Women and Children, Reem Alsalem, has called for a stop to ongoing aggression against women protesting for female spaces to remain free of those who are biologically male but now identify as transgender.
Alsalem said having different views was not a “green light” for threats and violence.
“[Very] concerning that in last few weeks, physical, political + online violence has intensified against #women asserting sex-based needs +spaces in several countries,” she wrote on Twitter on March 26,
“Even where one may disagree with their views, that shouldn’t translate into a green light to threaten and attack them.”
Her comments come after aggressive counter-protests took place in Australia and New Zealand against “Let Women Speak” rallies hosted by UK women’s rights advocate Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull (also known as Posie Parker).
The thrust of Parker’s rallies was to stop self-identifying transgender individuals from entering biologically segregated areas like bathrooms and sports.
In Melbourne, Parker was met by hundreds of LGBT+ counter-protestors, as well as a small group of protesters performing the Nazi salute, which led to media outlets and commentators linking the women’s rights advocates to neo-Nazism.
Her rally in Hobart was drowned out by large groups of LGBT+ protesters, while in Canberra, independent Senator Lidia Thorpe created a scene when she attempted to physically disrupt a speech delivered by Parker, which forced police to pull her aside.
Thorpe fell to the ground, crawled away, before getting up and heading back to the nearby counter protest rally.
Women’s Groups Welcome UN Support
But women’s rights groups have welcomed Alsalem’s comments, thanking her for her concern.“Thank you Reem for being our voice,” the WFA said.
Another women’s group from the UK, For Women Scotland, also thanked Alsalem, saying they were horrified by the violence over the weekend.
“Thank you Reem; we have been horrified by some of the justification of violence we have seen this weekend,” the advocacy group said in a Twitter post.
Police Accused of Failing to Protect Women
Women’s rights advocates have blamed police for not controlling the violence around the events.Former Liberal candidate Katherine Deves accused the Australian Federal Police (AFP) of failing in their duty for not promising organisers to keep counter protestors at a safe distance.
The Epoch Times has reached out to the AFP on the allegations.
“Seeing what’s happened in the other two cities (Melbourne and Hobart), that the police would be prepared to allow the counter-protesters to get within arm’s length and spitting distance from us is a dereliction of duty,” Deves said.
“I don’t trust the police to keep us safe, and I think the threat of mob violence is so great I need to put my safety first.”
“We were very surprised and devastated at the lack of police intervention,” she said.
“I think they were given quite a bit of information about the likelihood of there being violence and a bit of chaos.
“They could have watched some of the other live streams from previous events in Australia and Hobart and Melbourne, seeing what the police did and how they held a line between the women holding the speaking event and the people who were protesting.”
