JK Rowling steps in after Féile an Phobail cancels women's rights debate - Stormont minister says festival 'capitulated'
The West Belfast Festival has come in for criticism over its cancellation of an event organised by the Women’s Rights Network, after a campaign by transgender activists.
The summer festival, known as Féile an Phobail, announced that it had cancelled and event it had previously agreed to – saying it supported “the right of the Transgender community to be treated with equality and respect”.
The Women’s Rights Network NI (WRN NI) campaigns for the protection of single sex spaces and services for women and girls. It opposes the notion that a man can identify as a woman and therefore be entitled to women’s rights.
The group said it was made clear to Féile that they intended to have a discussion on women’s sex-based rights.
Author and women’s rights campaigner JK Rowling announced a foundation set up in her name would help WRN NI with any legal costs. It is understood the group hopes to persuade the festival to change its mind before commencing any legal action.
Stormont’s culture minister Gordon Lyons said Feile was happy to take public money “to platform ‘debate’, right up until the debate involves views they don’t like”.
“They accepted this event, then dropped it the moment an online mob kicked off. That’s not tolerance, but capitulation.
“Women discussing their own rights shouldn’t need to pass an ideological test to get a hearing. Féile has shown exactly whose voices it’s willing to protect and whose it’s willing to sacrifice.
TUV MLA Timothy Gaston said one of his proudest moments in Stormont was securing the opportunity for the NI Women’s Rights Network to give evidence before the TEO Committee.
“Their appearance marked a breakthrough against a Stormont establishment that, until then, had been totally captured by ideology.
“For the first time, the Committee heard from a group prepared to state the biological reality of what a woman is and to speak up for the protection of single-sex spaces.
“Today’s statement from Féile an Phobail confirming that it is excluding the NI Women’s Rights Network is a slap in the face to everyone who believes women deserve the right to defend their own spaces from trans invaders”, he said.
The News Letter asked Sinn Fein, the SDLP and Alliance if they support the right of WRN or any other gender critical feminists to speak at the West Belfast Festival - or any other publicly funded event. None of the parties responded.
WRN NI said the decision to cancel the event followed an organised online campaign against it.
“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.
“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. Feile 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.
“Women advocating for their sex-based rights are not campaigning against the rights of others”, a spokesperson said.
In a statement posted on social media, Féile an Phobail said: “An event application was submitted to this years Féile programme by a group called the Women's Rights Network.
“Féile an Phobail was unaware from the initial submission that this event would promote campaigns against rights for the Transgender community.
“Féile an Phobail takes pride in standing up for those who are marginalised and attacked.
“Féile was formed in 1988 at a time when the community of West Belfast was being attacked and demonised, and 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”.