Hundreds join women’s rally
HUNDREDS of women attended a feminist rally in Edinburgh yesterday in what was described as the first major test of Scotland’s controversial hate crime laws.
More than 600 women travelled from across the UK to the Mound on Princes Street for the Let Women Speak rally organised by women’s rights campaigner Kellie-Jay Keen.
In opposition hundreds of trans activists staged a noisy protest just feet away, less than a week after the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021 came into effect.
The opposing sides in the toxic gender wars were separated by safety barriers and kept apart by police.
Representatives from both sides made speeches while supporters sang and chanted slogans.
Keen, also known as Posie Parker, told the crowd: “I want to thank each and every police officer who has taken time on a shift, when they are overstretched, to come and make sure women can speak.
“So thank you very much to the police. I don’t think anybody joined the police force to stop men in dresses from stopping women from talking. I came to say no woman has a penis, no man has a vagina, there’s no such thing as non-binary and transitioning children is profound abuse.”
Many women attending the rally wore suffragette colours of white, green and purple and carried banners and placards with messages such as “Dare To be Honest”, “Hands off women’s rights”, “Woman is not a feeling”, “Only women get pregnant” and “Respect my sex”.
Trans supporters with loud speakers waved banners with slogans such as “Fight for trans rights”, “Stop the hate, show respect, we’re all human” and “Trans rights are human rights”.
Police Scotland was contacted about incidents during yesterday’s events.