The confrontation between Black Lives Matter protesters and ‘gender critical’ activists grew ugly
A group of ‘gender critical’ activists mocked and shouted at Black Lives Matter protesters during a heated confrontation on Sunday afternoon.
The dispute happened at Speaker’s Corner in Hyde Park, a traditional place of protest in the city long frequented by activists of all stripes.
Things quickly grew heated when Black Lives Matter protesters – who had been taking part in the Million People March through the city to protest police brutality – were met by ‘gender critical’ activists gathering under an ‘I heart JK Rowling‘ banner.
‘Gender critical’ activists brand Black Lives Matter supporters ‘misogynists’ and tell them to ‘f**k off’.
According to clips on social media, those present include include the activist Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull, known online as Posie Parker – who has previously appeared alongside white nationalist YouTubers.
The videos of the exchange at Speaker’s Corner appear to show Keen-Minshull telling the female Black Lives Matter protesters that they are “misogynists” who “can’t even understand what a woman is”, while her supporters resort to the racist trope of claiming that the Black women are being “aggressive” towards them.
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As one of the Black Lives Matter protesters patiently attempts to speak to the activists about oppression, she is repeatedly interrupted and told to “shut up”.
Others involved in the stand-off appear to include Maria Mac, a woman afforded lavish sympathetic media coverage after she was struck during a 2018 scuffle with transgender activists, also at Speaker’s Corner.
Maria Mac seems to have decided to forego the dear old grandmother routine again…
And plumps for ranting crank.
Is it just me or does her husband have to pull her back at the beginning with his left hand. pic.twitter.com/wSlkJlyxad
— Joss Prior 🍄…Justified Ancient of Mu Mu… (@joss_prior) August 30, 2020
After the protest, supporters of the ‘gender critical’ mob took to Mumsnet to denounce the Black Lives Matter movement.
One user insisted that Black Lives Matter “is founded on anti- democratic principles [and] its support of ‘genderism’ is the least of what is wrong with it.”
Another Mumsnet user volunteered: “The movement against racism has a cuckoo in the nest which is doing it no favours.”
Donning their tin foil hat, one fumed: “A lot of PoMo Queer Theory has crept into left-wing activism. Both BLM and [Extinction Rebellion] mention the dismantling of cis heteronormativity and societal structure in their aims.”
Only one Mumsnet user appeared able to see that the optics of middle-class white women shouting at Black Lives Matter protesters may not, in fact, do their cause much good.
They wrote: “This is yet another self-own; who’s in charge?? Footage of older white women screaming ‘trans women are men’ at young Black girls all over the socials… my God.
“Only people I can see sticking up for PP and co are the hardline people who supported her years ago anyway. She never seems to gain any traction with the wider public. She’s a liability. Christ, what a mess.”