Book Offer
This will close in 10 seconds
A women’s rights organisation which has expressed concern about the impact of transgender ideology in the North has said “women will not be silenced” following the cancellation of a planned speaking engagement at the publicly-funded Féile An Phobail.
The Northern Ireland Women’s Rights Network (WRN NI) was due to speak at the community arts and cultural festival, based in West Belfast, which begins later this week.
However, the organisation’s event – a discussion on women’s sex based rights – was cancelled after what WRN NI has described as an organised online campaign against the event.
In response to controversy stemming from the cancellation, author JK Rowling tweeted to her 13 million followers on X: “jkrwf.org will help with legal costs” in any potential legal challenge.
The J.K Rowling Women’s Fund is described by the Harry Potter author and activist as a “legal fighting fund for women protecting their sex-based rights.”
In a statement on Tuesday, WRN NI said it was “shocked and deeply disappointed” that Féile an Phobail had cancelled the event, entitled ‘Respect, Rights and Reality’ after previously accepting it into this year’s programme.
The annual Belfast summer festival receives significant taxpayer funding, including roughly £244,000 per year as part of a funding package from Belfast City Council. It receives further funding from Tourism Northern Ireland and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.
Organisers previously told the Stormont Assembly that their annual total income was typically £450,000 to £500,000, with the majority of that sum made up of public funding.
The festival includes comedy shows, live music, Irish language and cultural events, as well as political debates and panel discussions.
“This decision follows an organised campaign against the event,” said WRN NI. “That campaign included misogynistic, abusive, and in our view, threatening rhetoric directed at women associated with it.
“No organisation that values free speech should allow intimidation to determine which voices are heard.”
The women’s group added: “Féile describes itself as a festival of the people, of ideas, culture and debate. We therefore have to ask whether its commitment to free speech extends only to viewpoints with which it agrees and only to some people.”
“Through this event women have sought to discuss their own rights. Féile has chosen to silence the voices of the very group that makes up half the population. Women are not a fringe interest group. We are half the population.”
WRN said that women advocating for sex-based rights are “not campaigning against the rights of others,” adding that they reject any attempt “to misrepresent either our organisation or the purpose of this event.”
“We remain committed to ensuring this important discussion takes place,” they said, adding that the decision “will not silence women.”
In response, Féile an Phobail – which is Ireland’s biggest community arts festival – claimed that it was unaware from the initial submission that the WRN event would “promote campaigns against rights for the Transender community.”
It said that an event application was submitted to this year’s Féile programme by the group.
“Féile an Phobail takes pride in standing up for those who are marginalised and attacked,” it said.
“Féile was formed in 1988 at a time when the community of West Belfast was being attacked and demonised, as a positive response to that demonisation.
“In recent years Féile has organised discussion events with the Transgender community, providing a platform to raise issues of pressing concern, and we fully support the right of the Transgender community to be treated with equality and respect.”
“On that basis, Féile an Phobail has informed the organiser of this event that we are withdrawing their event. This event is no longer part of the Féile programme.”
In reaction, Peadar Tóibín TD, said it was a “poor decision” and on the “wrong side of human rights and history.”
One DUP MLA, Peter Martin, said that the sex-based rights group represents “the mainstream public view of what sex and gender actually are, and yet you are deplatforming them because you’re afraid of what they might say.”
Gaels for Fair Play, a grassroots campaign group made up of GAA coaches, referees, parents and volunteers, formed in response to the Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA)’s transgender participation policy, noted “with deepening concern, the level of abuse directed at women by those who pushed for this event to be cancelled.”
Women’s Space Ireland responded: “What about women being marginalised and attacked as you are doing now? Have women have no right to defend women in our prisons who have male prisoners put in alongside them able to shout abuse? What about girls who want fairness in safety and sport?”
A spokeswoman for The Northern Ireland Women’s Rights Network said on Wednesday that despite JK Rowling’s offer, it did not plan on bringing legal action against the West Belfast festival.
This will close in 10 seconds