'She Never Dropped Her Flag': J.K.Rowling Praises Feminist Standing Up Against Trans Activists
10:21 GMT 16.05.2022 (Updated: 15:19 GMT 28.05.2023)
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On Sunday, a group of trans rights activists held a protest in Manchester's St Peter Square near the statue of Emmeline Pankhurst, dubbing their demonstration a "protest against transphobic gathering".
On the heels of the Sunday squabble between activists standing up for women's rights and those supporting trans rights, author J.K.Rowling has weighed in on a viral incident that took place during the protest involving a feminist being "manhandled" by pro-trans protesters.
The writer shared a video where the feminist is being pressured by trans activists, dressed in all black with their faces covered with masks. The incident unfolded near a statue of Emmeline Pankhurst - an iconic figure in the UK Suffragette movement.
"I never expected the right side of history to include so many people in masks intimidating and assaulting women, did you? But she never dropped her flag. Emmeline would be proud," Rowling tweeted.
I never expected the right side of history to include so many people in masks intimidating and assaulting
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 15, 2022
women, did you?
But she never dropped her flag. Emmelline would be proud.
💜🤍💚 https://t.co/Le7Kr7bmCb
According to The Daily Mail, the two groups clashed after pro-trans activists disrupted the campaign group Standing For Women (SFW) speaking event. The women's rights activists said they were there to reclaim "a part of Manchester for women's voices".
The video of the incident reveals that masked pro-trans activists called the feminist protester a "fascist" and a "Nazi".
"There is no conflict between women's rights and our ideology. To prove it, we've dressed up as ninjas to block public access to a statue of a suffragette. We're confident this has done wonders for our cause and definitely isn't an unintentionally hilarious own goal," Rowling wrote of the masked protesters.
Machester Trans Rise Up, the group behind the "protest against transphobic gathering", claimed victory on social media, praising their supporters for "claiming the space for the entire time".
J.K.Rowling has recently been subject to controversy regarding her stance on trans rights. A couple of years ago, she mocked an article for using the word "people who menstruate" instead of "women", then followed up with more statements on the matter that were deemed controversial by many people, including the stars of the movie adaptation of her iconic Harry Potter franchise. The author says that she "knows and loves" trans people, but insists that trans rights should not violate women's rights. Particularly, Rowling campaigned for safe spaces for women where access for biological men would not be allowed.
