The Troubles of a Saturday Stroll:

A Reflection on Two-Tier Policing

Me stewarding a Let Women Speak Event in Portsmouth

Who would have thought that taking a stroll around my home city center on a Saturday would cause so much trouble? My simple attendance at a march about two-tier policing has led to numerous accusations. I've been labeled with various political positions, accused of distributing flyers for the march, and even accused of acting as a steward for the march, both of which are false. The barrage of assumptions and judgments was unexpected and overwhelming.

Next time, perhaps I should join a march that's perceived to be on the "right side of history"—one where participants throw bottles at policewomen and carry signs saying "Gas the Jew's". Maybe then, I wouldn't face such harsh scrutiny.

I attended the march not as a representative of any group or to forge alliances, but as a private citizen concerned about various issues.

Since 2020, the world has undergone significant changes, ushering in a new era of authoritarianism from which there is no return to the past. Many people recognize this shift, though, unfortunately, many do not.

I chose to attend the march against two-tier policing because I have been a victim of this system for several years, just like many others. My trust in the police shattered during the lockdown.

I'm not ashamed to say I participated in several anti-lockdown protests where I witnessed police behavior that was both aggressive and antagonistic. Their excessive use of force, reminiscent of tactics used during past student protests, was shocking.

I saw police kettling protesters, dragging people from the back of crowds, throwing them to the ground, beating them up, and arresting them without cause. Their behavior was like a pack of wolves hunting their prey. One protest saw us chased down Regent Street by police in full riot gear. I escaped down a side road, terrified for my life, and that experience opened my eyes permanently.

It's interesting that many of those who criticized me for attending the march against two-tier policing also took issue with my attendance at anti-lockdown protests.

It's because they supported the authoritarian lockdowns that have caused immense harm, remaining silent when the government they claim to oppose restricted our freedoms and imposed draconian measures.

When the government mandated staying at home, when people were threatened with job loss unless they took an experimental vaccine, when unvaccinated people were barred from participating in society, these critics said nothing. They were silent when mothers gave birth alone, when mental health services were halted, when elderly people were isolated in care homes, when schools closed, and when children went missing from the education system.

I spoke up about these injustices and was labeled a conspiracy theorist, anti-vax, QAnon supporter, and far-right extremist. But time has shown that my concerns were valid. And my concerns are valid now.

The threat of two-tier policing is real and present, replacing impartial law enforcement with biased practices based on which side of a debate one supports.

Our society now invalidates certain views while validating others. We've witnessed groups like BLM, Extinction Rebellion, and Just Stop Oil causing significant disruptions with impunity, while police repeatedly fail to protect women gathering peacefully in public. Events organized by Let Women Speak (LWS) have faced abandonment by police, forcing stewards to step in and provide security.

In Brighton, TRAs (Trans Rights Activists) surrounded us, played loud music, threw smoke bombs, and even assaulted me right over a police officer's shoulder.

Tras attacking Brighton LWS

In Birmingham, the police's absence led to stewards physically defending themselves against TRAs, enduring kicks, punches, and hits with sticks.

Some of the chaos of Birmingham LWS

The trans/TERF debate has seen countless attacks on women's events with little to no police intervention.

At London’s Speaker’s Corner, the home of free speech, I was surrounded by a hostile mob, screamed at to "kill myself," while a police officer stood by, doing nothing.

TRAs are allowed to terrorize and physically assault women because their views are deemed acceptable, whereas women have been arrested for stickering or making comments online. I've received vile, racist death and rape threats, yet the police take no action. However, criticizing pedophiles or calling a man a man is met with swift police response.

Two-tier policing is a reality that we must acknowledge. If you're not afraid, you haven't been paying attention. This is why the march against two-tier policing was significant to me. The actual event was peaceful, with people marching and watching a documentary in Parliament Square—A documentary which featured Harry The Owl of We Are Fair Cop a well known male "Terf" ally and representative of our fight, yet he has received very little criticism from what I can gather.

I recommend watching the documentary linked to the march and forming your own opinions about the issue. It's important to approach this topic with an open mind and consider all perspectives.

During the march, I encountered several other TERFs who, I assume, attended for reasons similar to my own. Out of respect for their privacy and to protect them from potential targeting, I will not name them. This shared experience underscores the widespread concern about two-tier policing and the need for collective action to address it.

I attended the march to demonstrate to the government, police, public, and anyone willing to listen that two-tier policing is an issue affecting people from all walks of life. We have noticed the discrepancies, and we collectively say no to this unfair treatment.

But why the uproar over my attendance? It's largely because the march was organised by Tommy Robinson, a controversial figure.

Regardless of whether you like or loathe Robinson, it is undeniable that he has been a victim of two-tier policing in ways that should alarm us all.

If the police can target him, they can—and will—target others.

It's not far-fetched to imagine a future where controversial women's rights campaigns, including myself, might be banned from city centers for causing "alarm and distress," thereby stifling public meetings and marches.

This issue extends beyond Robinson and the controversy around him.

The demonization of the white working class has been evident for years, a point even recognised by commentators like Owen Jones.

White working-class boys and men are often labeled as football hooligans, gammons, or chavs. Their views on immigration and other matters are dismissed as inherently racist, rather than being understood as stemming from legitimate economic and social concerns.

Their worries about their families' futures are frequently ignored or ridiculed.

White working-class girls and women face a different but equally damaging stereotype. They are often seen as less than, as easy, and as unworthy of protection.

If they are gang-raped by Pakistani man in grooming gangs, they are blamed for wanting it; if they report the crime, they are accused of being racist. These girls are sacrificed on the altar of inclusion and diversity by a middle class petrified of being labeled as racist.

The white middle class often looks down on the white working class with a mix of pity and shame. This contempt is most visible among the middle-class left, who openly scorn the concerns and experiences of the white working class.

Despite my background as the brown lesbian daughter of an immigrant, I don’t fear the white working class, they are my family and I share many of their concerns. Plus my socioeconomic status and cultural upbringing firmly place me at the working-class table. Moreover, the working class are more likely to offer me a seat and welcome my perspective.

So despite the accusations and criticisms, I stand by my actions. The fear of a politically biased police force is more terrifying than the perceived threat of a powerless right-wing. Our society must wake up to the realities of biased law enforcement before it’s too late.

I fear it may already be.