[Sat 28th Oct 2017] London Anarchist Bookfair (London)

[Pickman's model]

If Helen Steel had been taking videos and sending them to the police (I have no idea if this actually happened) then that's a bad thing to do no matter who she is or what she's done in the past. Conversely if she's been attacked, lied about or otherwise mistreated than that would still be a bad thing regardless of who she was.

Why say 'how dare they do this to (insert name here)' when 'how dare they do this to anyone' is enough?

yeh. i think i can say without fear of contradiction that if there was anyone in london who wouldn't take videos and send them to the police, that person would be helen.

 

[Treacle Toes]

SpookyFrank Those accusations of Helen seem to be bullshit from where I am reading. It seems like stuff that was thrown at her because she stood up for those handing out the leaflets, or their right to hand them out at least. Helen got it in the neck because she became the next best target after those handing out the leaflets left/were hounded out.

Seriously, if Helen had been involved in any of the things she was suddenly accused of you'd think it would have been highlighted before now wouldn't you?

I am not into hero-worship of anyone so accept your point that just because someone has done 'good' in one context doesn't make them above criticism where they do fuck up or where one may disagree with their position in other contexts but I don't think we need go there with HS on the basis of what was thrown at her at the weekend.

 

[Pickman's model]

SpookyFrank Those accusations of Helen seem to be bullshit from where I am reading. It seems like stuff that was thrown at her because she stood up for those handing out the leaflets, or their right to hand them out at least. Helen got it in the neck because she became the next best target after those handing out the leaflets left/we hounded out.

Seriously, if Helen had been involved in any of the things she was suddenly accused of you'd think it would have been highlighted before now wouldn't you?

someone would have noticed

 

[LDC]

Videos being send to the cops by Helen? FFS, can we stop the wild inaccurate speculation please and stick to the facts and issues raised, it's complicated and controversial enough without inventing things.

 

[Pickman's model]

Videos being send to the cops by Helen? FFS, can we stop the wild inaccurate speculation please and stick to the facts and issues raised, it's complicated and controversial enough without inventing things.

not to mention that helen has some experience in libel cases

 

[Treacle Toes]

Videos being send to the cops by Helen? FFS, can we stop the wild inaccurate speculation please and stick to the facts and issues raised, it's complicated and controversial enough without inventing things.

TBF no-one on this thread is inventing things. These are things HS was accused of at the weekend. Clearly bullshit though yes. Fucking shitty tactics, but calling people 'shills' to discredit them is nothing new.

 

[TopCat]

Dumb arsed move attacking Helen. Interesting to see previously sane people constructing completely daft and dangerous sylogisms.

 

[rich!]

On a small point, the double sided leaflet suggests that both gay and queer politics are "male sectors who profit from the elimination of human rights for females" which seems pretty much like it falls under "homophobia".

 

[TopCat]

Life was a tad simpler when it was Sam Ambreen and her crew of cunts chanting "kill ALL Men" at the bookfair.

 

[Shechemite]

On a small point, the double sided leaflet suggests that both gay and queer politics are "male sectors who profit from the elimination of human rights for females" which seems pretty much like it falls under "homophobia".

Do you think the flyer is homophobic?

 

[rich!]

Do you think the flyer is homophobic?

I think that statement seems homophobic.

 

[Pickman's model]

Life was a tad simpler when it was Sam Ambreen and her crew of cunts chanting "kill ALL Men" at the bookfair.

bet you never thought you'd be nostalgic for that

 

[redsquirrel]

If Helen Steel had been taking videos and sending them to the police (I have no idea if this actually happened) then that's a bad thing to do no matter who she is or what she's done in the past. Conversely if she's been attacked, lied about or otherwise mistreated than that would still be a bad thing regardless of who she was.

Yes but in the absence of any evidence whatsoever that an individual has sent videos to the police, lied or mistreated anyone it's both sensible and comradely to take the word of that individual as valid. Particularly if that individuals past conduct/history shows them to be trustworthy and solid.

 

[Shechemite]

Life was a tad simpler when it was Sam Ambreen and her crew of cunts chanting "kill ALL Men" at the bookfair.

Not heard of her. Done some googling. She seems a bit dim

 

[TruXta]

Not heard of her. Done some googling. She seems a bit dim

It was a right laugh when she popped up on here.

 

[Shechemite]

It was a right laugh when she popped up on here.

Christ that was a tough read

 

[Fozzie Bear]

ETA a useful clarification before people go into one:

 

[Pickman's model]

oh this will end well

 

[DaveCinzano]

Posted yet?

...As we’re mainly class struggle and housing activists, albeit with some green tinges, we ‘re not well versed in the ins and outs of the dispute that some radical feminists have with transgender people and their supporters. On that basis, we admit that we’re not equipped to offer a definitive opinion on the rights or wrongs of this dispute until we’ve done a lot more reading and research. However, if I was a curious newcomer to the bookfair and was a witness to what went on with the confrontations, my reaction would have been ‘what the ***k is going on here?’ and my response would have been to walk out and dismiss the idea of anarchism as a viable political option.

Seriously, is this the face we want to show to newcomers, particularly new contacts we may want to bring along and especially to anyone from the estates surrounding the bookfair venue? We recognise that there are serious issues between radical feminists on the one hand and transgender people and activists on the other that need to be debated but there has to be a better way of achieving this than disrupting a bookfair. What happened from mid afternoon onwards hasn’t done the movement any favours at a time where we have to be focused on drawing in as many people as possible…

What should an anarchist bookfair set out to achieve?

 

[LDC]

Has one fucking person got hold of the Freedom Press Twitter account? Or are these statements collective Freedom Press positions? And what did they do, surely if you post something like that about the police calling it's sensible to then say you told them nothing...?

 

[Pickman's model]

Has one fucking person got hold of the Freedom Press Twitter account? Or are these statements collective Freedom Press positions? And what did they do, surely if you post something like that about the police calling it's sensible to then say you told them nothing...?

tweet them back and ask. or phone 07952 157742 and offer solidarity

 

[Magnus McGinty]

Has one fucking person got hold of the Freedom Press Twitter account? Or are these statements collective Freedom Press positions? And what did they do, surely if you post something like that about the police calling it's sensible to then say you told them nothing...?

Did you see Fozzie Bear’s edit?

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Has one fucking person got hold of the Freedom Press Twitter account? Or are these statements collective Freedom Press positions? And what did they do, surely if you post something like that about the police calling it's sensible to then say you told them nothing...?

I think the second tweet makes their position clear.

 

[Treacle Toes]

I think the second tweet makes their position clear.

Probably helpful for you to edit in the 2nd tweet to avoid confusion.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Probably helpful for you to edit in the 2nd tweet to avoid confusion.

View attachment 119175

I thought I'd done that .

Apologies if people can't see it.

 

[Treacle Toes]

I thought I'd done that .

Apologies if people can't see it.

Can see it now. obviously posting at the same time.

 

[LDC]

Did you see Fozzie Bear’s edit?

No, but I have now. Still, probably a slightly ill-thought out tweet imo. Although that might teach me (again...) to hold my horses a bit.

 

[TopCat]

It was a right laugh when she popped up on here.

I think she expected a safe space, where no one challenged her bigotry and bullshit. She stayed for about a day.

 

[Shechemite]

I think she expected a safe space, where no one challenged her bigotry and bullshit. She stayed for about a day.

Was she 17 when she posted on here.

A wee bit self obsessed it seems

 

[TopCat]

Was she 17 when she posted on here.

A wee bit self obsessed it seems

No, she is a grown woman. Huge entitlement. No radical output, just being an utter shit on the interweb.