Women's Rights Network to proceed with legal action as no agreement reached in Féile an Phobail meeting
The group behind a cancelled women’s rights event at the West Belfast Festival say they will now proceed with legal action against organisers – after a hastily arranged meeting failed to reach a resolution on Friday afternoon.
Action by the Women’s Rights Network (WRN) comes after Sex Matters also threatened legal action against Féile an Phobail, who initially granted and then withdrew permission for a discussion as part of the festival’s programme in August.
However, the group says its legal proceedings can be withdrawn at any time if the event is reinstated.
It comes after the DUP communities minister said he would consider changing policy so that future funding will be withdrawn from the festival over the row.
Speaking to the BBC’s Nolan Show, Gordon Lyons demanded that the Arts Council considers whether Feile has met their obligations after they received this public money.
Féile an Phobail attracted criticism this week after pulling a panel discussion to be held by WRN, to discuss issues such as single sex spaces.
It said it had made the decision as it supported “the right of the Transgender community to be treated with equality and respect”.
The event, was entitled ‘Respect, Rights and Reality: Women’s voices from Ireland and Europe’, and had been scheduled to take place at St Mary’s University College.
The panel was to be hosted by journalist Catherine McGinty, with guests including Fiona McAnena from Sex Matters, Danielle Loughrey from Gaels for Fair Play, Marianne Driessen from Athena Forum and Sorcha Nic Lochlainn from The Countess.
After a campaign by prominent LGBTQ+ online activists in Northern Ireland, Feile pulled the event, saying it was “unaware from the initial submission that this event would promote campaigns against rights for the Transgender community”.
Trans rights groups and some political parties have branded women’s demands for existing rights, based on biological sex, as “anti-trans”. These groups believe that anyone can claim womanhood, as it is based on an internal sense of self, rather than on biology.
On Friday afternoon, Feile announced on social media that it had offered to meet WRN at a “location in Belfast City Centre” and that they “await their response”.
In a statement on Friday afternoon, the Women’s Rights Network said they “can confirm that a meeting took place today with representatives of Féile an Phobail following the cancellation of our scheduled event.
“We appreciate the Féile team taking the time to meet with us.
“Regrettably, despite engaging in good faith, the meeting did not result in a satisfactory resolution. Our concerns have not been addressed, and no agreement was reached to reinstate our event.
“We wrote to Féile yesterday to inform them that we would commence legal proceedings if our event was not reinstated. We are now left with no choice but to proceed.
“Our legal proceedings can be withdrawn at any time should Féile decide to reinstate the event”.
In its legal warning to Feile, Sex Matters said it is “prejudicial and discriminatory for Féile an Phobail to join in with the online attacks and to smear WRN, Sex Matters and the panellists as “campaigning against the rights of the trans community”.