The Stand Up to Racism counter-protesters are usually a sorry sight, but today’s effort was particularly weak. The Pink Ladies stole the show, marching and singing their way down Whitehall in bright pink outfits and waving matching flags. They made the most of their day off work, filling the street with music, dance, and a defiant rendition of ‘I Will Survive’. By contrast, the group opposite looked like they had just stumbled out of the fifth day of Glastonbury – tired, dishevelled, and lacking energy.
Their mood matched their appearance. Having attended plenty of anti-migrant hotel protests this summer, I’ve practically memorised Stand Up to Racism’s chants of “Throw the Nazis in the sea, let in every refugee” and “Say it loud, say it clear, refugees are welcome here.” But today, their voices were drowned out by the Pink Ladies’ music – a welcome break.
The sheer number of women protesting against each other across the street, clashing over the issue of women’s safety, was striking.
The Pink Ladies movement emerged in response to protests earlier this summer, after a migrant staying at the Bell Hotel in Epping was arrested for the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl. Several other attacks linked to migrants in taxpayer-funded accommodation have also come to light. Official figures show that in the past three years, 312 asylum seekers have been charged with 708 alleged offences, including 18 counts of rape, five attempted rapes, and 35 sexual assaults.
Today, hundreds of women gathered peacefully – aside from Gloria Gaynor blasting from the speakers – to demand that the Government do more to protect British women and children. How can one disagree with that? Many called for increased police presence at night, and for migrants to be housed away from schools until proper vetting takes place. Seems pretty reasonable to me.
When I asked the organiser about the counter-protesters, she told me: “How can you come and try to shame mothers and grandmothers because they want to protect their children? It has nothing to do with race.”
That sentiment echoed again and again. Every woman I spoke to insisted the same point: it isn’t about race, but about safety. They argued that the origins of the men were irrelevant – the problem was the lack of knowledge about their backgrounds and criminal histories.
Less than two hours later, Stand Up to Racism packed up and went home. It seemed they realised they could hardly argue with a group of mothers and grandmothers calling for the safety of their children.
