Latest news with #KellieJayKeen
Irish Times
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Feuds, clown-shows and a neo-Nazi libel: An Australian political party's internecine fights
If you heard a political party leader had implied a fellow MP sympathised with neo-Nazis, you would probably assume it took place in an unstable democracy. But it happened in the Australian state of Victoria and involved the opposition Liberal Party. It cost state leader John Pesutto his position and left him owing millions of dollars. The Victorian Liberals have been busy shooting themselves in the foot for decades in a battle for control between moderates – such as Pesutto – and Christian right-wingers such as MP Moira Deeming. The latest trouble started in March 2023 when Deeming addressed a rally called Let Women Speak outside the state parliament in Melbourne. The rally, headed by British anti-trans activist Kellie-Jay Keen, was gatecrashed by black-clad supporters who gave Nazi salutes on the parliament's steps. READ MORE Victoria has long been at the centre of neo-Nazi activity in Australia and some of them leapt on the rally's bandwagon, knowing it would get a lot of attention. Performing a Nazi salute was soon banned, but there were long-term ramifications for the Liberal Party. Deeming was initially suspended and later expelled from the parliamentary party after threatening to sue Pesutto, saying he had falsely portrayed her as a Nazi sympathiser. Attempts to get her to drop the case failed and last December federal court judge David O'Callaghan ruled Pesutto had defamed Deeming on several occasions. The judge found that in an interview with national broadcaster ABC 'the imputation found to be conveyed is that Mrs Deeming knowingly associates or sympathises with neo-Nazis and white supremacists, and is thus unfit to be a member of the parliamentary Liberal Party'. Deeming was awarded 300,000 Australian dollars (€167,000) in damages. Pesutto was told to pay costs of about two million Australian dollars. He resigned as party leader while Deeming was reinstated. Though a well-off man, Pesutto didn't have $2.3 million lying around and was on the verge of bankruptcy until the Liberal Party bailed him out with a $1.5 million loan last month, just days before the deadline for paying his debts. The party did it for reasons of self-preservation. If Pesutto had become bankrupt then he would have been forced to resign a marginal seat that the Liberals risked losing to their rivals. Labor has ruled in Victoria for all bar four years since 1999, but with a state debt of $167 billion and the worst youth crime figures since 2009, the Liberals should be a shoo-in to win next year's state election. But, as seen with the Pesutto-Deeming debacle, the party is far more concerned with internecine disputes between moderates and right-wing Christians. Victoria is Australia's least religious state, with just 43.8 per cent of its population claiming to be Christian in the 2021 census, while 42.1 per cent said they had no religion. If Victoria's Christian population were evenly distributed around the state, a party dominated by right-wing Christians might have a winning formula. But that's not the case. While some suburbs have Christian majorities, one district is majority Muslim and others have significant minorities of Jews, Buddhists, Hindus and Sikhs. And, of course, Christians are likely to spread their vote. Brad Battin, who replaced Pesutto as Liberal leader, would like nothing better than to be able to attack Labor on rising crime. As a former police officer, he would be on solid ground. But he can't get the public and the media to concentrate on Labor's inability to control public order or balance the books when his own side keeps offering a clown-show distraction. As well as the battle between the right-wing and the moderates for control of the Liberals, Battin's deputy leader Sam Groth was recently revealed to have stayed in what has been called 'plush Melbourne hotels', paid for by taxpayers, after attending high-profile sporting events. One of Groth's colleagues told the Herald Sun newspaper that 'taking free tickets to events and taking your wife and booking a fancy hotel room in the city won't sit well with the public in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis'. In the meantime, the Labor Party gets on with ruling a state with increasing debt and rising crime, crossing its fingers and hoping that the Liberals continue to fight among themselves.
Daily Mail
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Waitrose accused of 'ridiculous virtue-signalling' after starting to sell gender-neutral CRUMPETS in store
Waitrose has been accused of 'ridiculous virtue-signalling' after introducing gender-neutral 'Crumpet People' to its stores. The snack comes in packs of four for £1.50 and is described as 'light and fluffy crumpets, just as fun as they are delicious'. But their debut follows the gradual removal of gingerbread men which have been replaced by gingerbread people at many supermarkets. And while Waitrose still sells a gingerbread man, others including Morrisons and Sainsbury's now offer gender-free options. Women's rights campaigners today questioned the new crumpets, with Party of Women leader Kellie-Jay Keen saying 'personally I just want them to hold enough butter'. She added: 'It's ridiculous. They are trying to virtue signal with something as nice as a crumpet. 'Are Waitrose just employing straight out of university morons who think this is a way for the company to show inclusivity?' The campaigner added she took issue with the idea everything should be 'made sexless' in order for women to be 'taken seriously'. She also recalled the move to replace gingerbread men with gingerbread people, saying 'nobody was upset about' them. 'I think most of these things people shrug it off with a laugh but I guess overwhelmingly if everything goes this way it does make a difference,' she told MailOnline. Jean Hatchet, a 'radical feminist activist from Sheffield' also branded the decision 'silly'. Speaking to MailOnline, she said: 'I think this is just silly. No one is offended by food being called 'man' or 'woman' as we weren't with gingerbread 'men'. 'It shows how ridiculously scared everyone, including retailers, have become around using accurate language for sex. 'The only issue is the reality of the sex of a woman being put at risk by refusing to acknowledge it as a biological reality. A crumpet doesn't have a sex.' Some shoppers have nevertheless praised the taste of the crumpet, with one saying 'love the Waitrose unusual crumpets especially the Crumpet People that are in store now'. Another said: 'Really tasty and such a great shape for small children.' Shelley Charlesworth, of Transgender Trend, which calls for an 'evidence-based approach to the medical treatment of gender dysphoric children and science-based teaching in schools', said: 'Goodness what happened to just crumpets? 'I guess calling them people and letting children decide whether, or even if, they are boys or girls, seems fine. A bit like Jelly Babies.' Criticism has Transgender campaigner Charlie Craggs said the crumpets were doing nothing to help the problems faced by the trans community. She said: 'Trans people literally do not care if Mr Potato Head or gingerbread and crumpet men are made gender neutral or non binary or whatever, we have much bigger problems, like being defined out of existence and out of public life by the Supreme Court. 'We do not want crumpet people, we want safety and to stop being hounded by JK Rowling's mob of women with ugly haircuts.' Meanwhile Shelley Charlesworth, of Transgender Trend, the UK's leading organisation calling for an evidence-based approach to the medical treatment of trans identified young people, added: 'Goodness what happened to just crumpets? 'I guess calling them people and letting children decide whether, or even if, they are boys or girls, seems fine. A bit like Jelly Babies.' In December, the Old Inn in Crawfordsburn, County Down, included a Gingerbread Person as a sweet treat on its £35 Festive Afternoon Tea Menu - blasted as 'wokery crap' by former Coronation Street actor Charlie Lawson. Mr Lawson, best known as Jim McDonald in the soap, said: 'It's just ridiculous, it's childish bloody nonsense - a Gingerbread Person!' Sainsbury's was also forced to defend itself last Christmas when it released a festive snack - breadcrumb-coated chicken dubbed 'gingerbread people with ketchup.' This followed on from a row in 2022 after it released a pack of two gingerbread people, although one had blonde hair and pink underwear. One shopper said on a Facebook page at the time: 'On come on!!!' A Waitrose spokesman said of the crumpet people: 'Customers love our crumpets and this new take on our trusty favourite brings a hole new level of fun for younger food lovers.'
Daily Mail
29-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Moment crowd of women's rights campaigners dressed in Niqab-style veils ripped them off to declare 'free your face' in provocative London protest
This is the moment a crowd of women's rights campaigners dressed in Niqab-style veils ripped them off as they declared 'free your face'. Up to 75 protesters gathered in London 's Hyde Park this afternoon for a Let Women Speak (LWS) event, spearheaded by campaigner Kellie-Jay Keen, also known as Posie Parker. The group, dressed in black veils with 'free your face' printed on them, walked through the park in unison, holding placards that read 'free speech for women' alongside black balloons printed with 'women: adult female'. Stopping at the popular Speaker's Corner area, Ms Keen pulled out a white ladder to stand in front of the crowd, stating: 'what we are doing here is something that women in the Middle East cannot do and that is to remove the veil.' The group then ripped off their veils in unison to the sound of passionate cheers and whistles, while others chanted 'free your face'. Ms Keen, who founded the #LetWomenSpeak movement and leads the Party of Women, said that the group had gathered as an 'act of solidarity with all of the women who have to live behind the veil because their husbands, cousins and brothers are too weak'. The events, which often take place across the country, see women take to the stage to talk about a variety of issues that affect them. Speakers are often known for their gender-critical views and the group also campaigns against using female-only spaces. One rival protestor shouted from the crowd 'women should be at home', but this did not deter Ms Keen. She continued: 'Four weeks ago, I received stories from women from all over the Middle East who have had to live behind the veil since they were 12 years old. 'In the UK, all over our cities we are seeing more women wearing the veil. As a free woman, I do not think this is acceptable. This is what happens when a man cannot bear for women to be free. 'If a man cannot control himself when he see's a woman's face, then he should wear a mask'. Ms Keen, who proudly stated she is 'not a feminist' added: 'I say no to the veil, no to the Niqab'. Speaking directly to a counter-protestor who criticised her for 'spreading aggression against men', she quipped back: 'f**k you'. Another woman who took to the stage to speak, added: 'We live in a free society so we do not want women being told what to do and not being allowed to live their lives. I cannot stand by and not say anything about this'. Meanwhile, another protestor, dressed in a necklace that spelled out 'women', tearfully struggled to get her words out. She said: 'You can make your choices, but they have to be free choices and the veil is never truly a free choice. Please for the sake of your sisters, choose freedom.' Founded in 2018, the LWS group was formed in response to proposed changes to the Gender Recognition Act (GRA). Described as a 'bold, international movement' the protestors say they have worked to 'spark a global awakening around the importance of defending the rights of women-adult human females'. Ms Keen, dubbed 'one of the world's most recognisable defenders of women's rights', finished her passionate speech by declaring: 'The reason we created this movement is because so many men are frightened of our voices. 'Today we say for women all over the world, free your faces. And to the men who subject them to it, we say f**k you.' After the event, Ms Keen told MailOnline that the inspiration for today's speech came from an 'off the cuff' comment she made to two women who were wearing a Niqab at Speaker's Corner last month. She said: 'There were two women and I just said "free your faces ladies, free your face and liberate yourselves".' Ms Keen says a video of that moment was seen 24 million times across social media platforms and inspired a wave of Middle Eastern women to share their 'heartbreaking' stories. She continued: 'These women reached out to tell me things like "I haven't had the sun in my face since I was 12" or "I'm living a life of servitude because the mask is one thing, the niqab is one thing, but actually I don't feel like a complete human being".' Ms Keen said some women even revealed they were not allowed out in their garden and that the biggest thing they had to look forward to was going to the cafe alone. She is now vowing to keep pushing the message forward to stop women from being 'imprisoned' by the Niqab, despite pushback from some protestors. 'Speaker's Corner is a very unwelcoming place for women because the men are very loud and most women aren't,' Ms Keen continued. 'I happen to have quite a loud voice. Most women don't, so it can be a bit intimidating. But I was prepared. And I think it went really well and it was a spectacle. 'We always get pushback because there's some men that can't cope with women speaking. But those are really the men that we are very glad to hear women speak. So they start to understand that we're not stopping.' Ms Keen added that she wants to see the Niqab banned, saying: 'There's a rise in it being worn in various cities such as London, Birmingham and Bradford. 'I think we really need to think very carefully as a country. I'd like to ban the face covering. I think there's too many women that are forced to wear it for us ever to think that it's a choice.' Last October, up to 70 women gathered in Carlisle Park, Morpeth, Northumberland, for a Let Women Speak (LWS) event and were met with counter demonstrators who shouted through megaphones: 'Transwomen are women'. Branding Ms Keen a 'fascist', counter protestors shouted during the speeches: 'You're not radical, you're just d***heads.' They also blew whistles in an attempt to drown out the gathering and also shouted 'get off the stage' and 'get some new material'. But Ms Keen defended the group, remarking: 'Some women are coming to speak using some words, and some spoiled brats are trying to stop us. 'We just want to speak about our rights. We want to speak about our spaces, our sports, our children, our safety. 'Those people over there are from the elites and are trying to shut us up. Most of us are from relatively normal families who have to pay a mortgage, pay bills. 'They haven't sent us to a nice university to mess around with our fees and our grants and to come and harass middle-aged women.' The Labour party previously faced previous accusations of being 'undemocratic authoritarians' after a local party pressured a venue into cancelling a Conservative-run debate due to Ms Keen's attendance. The Tottenham Conservative Association was due to hold a debate on 'The Future of British Politics' in February last year, but the Clissold Arms pub in Muswell Hill, north London, told organisers yesterday that they had to cancel it after complaints. A letter sent to the pub by the Hornsey and Friern Barnet Constituency Labour Party executive committee, seen by MailOnline, said that 'Keen's events often attract other far right groups including neo-Nazi groups on a recent tour of Australia'. On her tour of Australia in 2023, men showed up to a rally in Melbourne and performed Nazi salutes, but she insisted they were not invited or welcome there. The letter accused Ms Keen of 'extremely transphobic views' and of harassing transgender people, adding that her attendance would create a 'dangerous and hostile environment for local trans people'.
Daily Mail
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Police Scotland say transgender suspects have the right to ask for a male officer to search one half of their body and a female officer to search the other half
Police have issued new guidance ruling transgender suspects can demand one half of their body is searched by a male officer and the other by a female colleague. Gender-critical campaigners have accused Police Scotland of potentially putting female staff at risk with new rules drawn up after a recent Supreme Court verdict. The latest guidance - issued with comments from Assistant Chief Constable Catriona Paton - has been condemned by activists including Kellie-Jay Keen, of the group Let Women Speak, and Sex Matters charity chief Fiona McAnena. Judges determined in April that the word 'woman' meant a biological female and not gender within the terms of Britain's Equality Act. Police Scotland - the crime force covering the whole country - carried out a review in response to April's judgment and has now published what it calls 'interim transgender search guidance'. A statement described searching as a 'complex and important area of policing'. Police Scotland said the force 'must ensure that it is acting in line with its duties under the Equality Act and the Human Rights Act, and that officers and staff feel confident that they are conducting searches lawfully'. Among the new guidance is a question-and-answer section, which inclludes the suggestion: 'Can a transgender detainee ask for a separate area search depending on anatomical presentation?' The reply provided states: 'Yes - a transgender detainee can ask for a separate area search. 'This means that one half of their body will be searched by one biological sex officer and the other half of their body will be searched by a different biological sex officer.' The guidance has been sparked concerns among gender-critical campaigners, who worry female officers would be left in uncomfortable and even risky situations. Kellie-Jay Keen, who runs the group Let Women Speak, told MailOnline: 'I'm worried about the rights of female officers, if they're subjected to the whims of a suspect. 'I'd be asking the police force for single-sex searches - otherwise women aren't safe. It's just beyond belief that messages like this are being sent out.' Ms McAnena, director of campaigns at the charity Sex Matters, said: 'This ludicrous policy that allows one half of a suspect's body to be searched by a woman and the other half by a man comes from a police force which has embraced transgender ideology. 'Police Scotland's new rule is a gift to any suspect who may get satisfaction or enjoyment from being disruptive. 'This is particularly the case for trans rights activists who take an interest in eroding boundaries and making women uncomfortable.' The new Police Scotland statement comes just weeks after a controversy over similar searches for prison inmates identifying as transgender. MailOnline reported last month how female prison guards were having to strip search the top half of transgender inmates before male colleagues check their lower region. Trans criminals held at HMP Dovegate described how two female guards are used to check the top half of their bodies while two male colleagues check below the belt. The inmates subjected to the searches say they feel 'humiliated and violated' by the additional checks by male officers, which leaves their confidence 'shattered'. However, women's rights campaigners accused prison bosses of breaching the 'human rights' of female officers. April's ruling by the Supreme Court in London deemed the definition of a woman to be based on biological sex, meaning transgender women are not considered to be women in the eyes of the law. The verdict means trans women with a gender recognition certificate could potentially be excluded from single-sex spaces if 'proportionate'. Police Scotland has now said in a statement: 'The Service has been reviewing affected areas of operational policing, including the procedure for conducting certain kinds of searches, to provide clarity to our colleagues and communities. 'The guidance states that officers and staff will undertake all searches whether in custody or as part of a stop and search interaction, which involve the removal of more than a jacket, gloves, headgear or footwear, on the basis of biological sex. 'The guidance also states that when an individual, whose lived gender differs from their biological sex is subject to search and requests to be searched by an officer of their lived gender, efforts will be made to ensure an appropriate officer conducts the search, where this is operationally viable to do so. 'In these circumstances written consent will be required from the authorising officer (Inspector rank or above), the person to be searched, and the officer(s) conducting the search.' The force said the approach followed advice from its legal team, 'as well as engagement with relevant business areas, staff associations, trade unions, the Scottish Government and other key partners'. What does the Supreme Court gender ruling mean? What did the Supreme Court rule? The Supreme Court ruled the terms 'woman' and 'sex' in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex. What does it mean for single sex spaces? The court's decision will have huge consequences for how single-sex spaces and services operate across the UK, experts said today. The written Supreme Court judgment gives examples including rape or domestic violence counselling, refuges, rape crisis centres, female-only hospital wards and changing rooms. The court ruled that trans women with a gender recognition certificate (GRC) can be excluded from single-sex spaces if 'proportionate'. The government said the ruling 'brings clarity and confidence, for women and service providers such as hospitals, refuges, and sports clubs'. What does it mean for employers? Employment experts say it will provide companies with greater 'clarity' over single sex spaces for their staff. Lara Brown, senior Research Fellow in the Culture and Identity Unit at Policy Exchange, said a trans woman with a GRC who is excluded from single-sex spaces cannot say she is being discriminated against as a woman. She explained: 'This ruling makes it legal for any space that wants to be single sex to exclude biological men.' Could employers still be at risk of discrimination? The Supreme Court made it clear that trans people are protected under the gender reassignment provisions in the Equality Act and will be able to bring claims if they are discriminated or harassed. Experts say a trans woman will be able to bring a sex discrimination claim if they are disadvantaged because they are perceived to be a woman or because they associate with a woman. Rob McKellar, legal services director at Peninsula, said failure to be an inclusive workplace, regardless of any protected characteristics, could result in a discrimination claim. What does the ruling mean for competitive sports? In recent years, many sports have cracked down on rules around transgender athletes at the elite level. Athletics, cycling and aquatics are among those who have banned trans women from taking part in women's events. The UK government said it hopes the decision will provide clarity for sports clubs. Although today's ruling did not concern sport directly, former Olympian Sharron Davies welcomed the decision, saying it was important to 'define what a woman is'. Could a pregnant woman with a GRC be entitled to maternity leave? Experts said today that the ruling that only women can become pregnant shows a trans man (biological woman) would be able to take maternity leave, while a trans woman (biological man) would not. Jo Moseley, an employment law specialist at national law firm Irwin Mitchell, said: 'The Supreme Court acknowledged that only women can become pregnant. Therefore a trans man (a biological woman who identifies as a man) can take maternity leave. 'Had the court reached a different decision, it's possible that trans men with a GRC wouldn't have been entitled to protection in relation to pregnancy under the characteristics of 'pregnancy or maternity'.'
Daily Mail
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Female prison guards are having to strip search the top half of transgender criminals before male colleagues check their lower regions in bizarre new jail ruling
Female prison guards are having to strip search the top half of transgender inmates before male colleagues check their lower region, MailOnline has learned. In a bizarre procedural ruling, jail guards are doubling up when searching transgender inmates who leave prison for hospital appointments or court appearances. Trans criminals caged at HMP Dovegate have reported two female guards are used to check the top half of their bodies while two male colleagues check below the belt. The inmates subjected to the searches say they feel 'humiliated and violated' by the additional checks by male officers, which leaves their confidence 'shattered'. However, women's rights campaigners have this morning lashed out and accused the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) of breaching the 'human rights' of female officers. Kellie-Jay Keen, a gender-critical activist, insisted the Government should not 'be spending any resources on 'facilitating humiliated' trans prisoners behind bars. Speaking to MailOnline, she added: 'I don't think those female officers should be subjected to searching them at all and I wonder if it infringes on the human rights of female prison officers and whether their employer is breaking the law.' News of the searches was revealed in prison magazine Inside Times by an inmate at Dovegate - a category B male facility in Staffordshire, which houses 1,160 prisoners. Prisoners at the cushy lock-up benefit from in-cell yoga and chess, a choir, and plots to grow vegetables and flowers. The jail, which boasts of having the UK's only privately run purpose-built therapeutic facility, has also been ridiculed in the past for using 'therapy ducks' to help reform criminals. Writing in their letter to Inside Times about their alleged treatment, the trans inmate said: 'The policy is that when either entering or leaving the prison for court, hospital appointments, etc, we have the top half of our body searched by two female officers, who will then leave us to get dressed. Then two male officers search the bottom half of our body. 'I have been subjected to these undignified and downright humiliating searches countless times. The negative impact that they have on my mental health is incredible. 'I feel humiliated, violated, and my confidence is shattered each time. Most, if not all, transgender people are self-conscious about their bodies, so forcing us to reveal our post- or mid-transition bodies is both inhumane and traumatic. 'Many trans people in and out of prison may feel the same as I do about these searches, so let's do something about it.' The inmate has demanded that trans prisoners should instead be searched using an X-ray scanner, and said they have written to Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood. 'An X-ray machine is arguably more thorough than a strip-search anyway and makes the process less traumatic for transgender women in prison,' they said, adding: 'This would save us the distress of having to strip naked from the waist down in front of two male officers.' The prison is run by government security contractor, Serco. Insiders have claimed transgender and searching policies are both national issues and not set by Serco. 'The body scanner is an additional search method and does not replace the search of prisoners,' an HMP Dovegate source added. 'Staff at HMP Dovegate recognise the sensitivity of the situation while being aware of the security considerations and as per the policy, the prisoner is informed of the need for the search and is involved in the decision making process as to the sex of the officers completing the search.' Justice sources said checks at the jail are carried out in accordance with the national 'searching policy framework' and the 'care and management of individuals who are transgender policy framework'. MailOnline understands these policies are being reviewed following a Supreme Court ruling last month about transgender people. In a landmark legal decision that could have far-reaching consequences, the UK's most senior judges ruled the definition of a woman is based on biological sex.
