POLICE have issued a statement after an assault of a gender critical protester at a Women Won’t Wheesht event in Scotland.
The incident took place on Sunday July 23 as campaigners from Women Won’t Wheesht (WWW) took to Speaker’s Corner in Aberdeen's Duthie Park.
Officers said they had been in attendance at the organised protest and were forced to step in after reports of an assault.
They said that a woman, aged 54, was involved with a clash with a 26-year-old who was issued a recorded police warning.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “On Sunday, 23 July, 2023, officers were in attendance during an organised protest in the Duthie Park area of Aberdeen.
“We were made aware of an assault of a 54-year-old woman during the event and an individual, aged 26, has received a recorded police warning in connection with the incident.
“There were no reports of any injuries and the protest later ended with no further issues.”
The WWW protesters represented the "gender critical" side of the debate around gender reform. They believe that someone's sex is immutable and as such transgender people should be barred from women's only sports and spaces.
We won't be intimidated by violence#AberdeenWomenWontWheesht pic.twitter.com/RB00trfTMG
— Women Won’t Wheesht (@WWWheesht) July 23, 2023
The WWW group were displaying a sign claiming that “women’s sports are under threat”, according to their own photos of the event.
The sign mentioned trans cyclist Emily Bridges, using her former name and labelling her a “male”.
It also quoted unnamed female sportspeople, with one woman from Lanarkshire reportedly saying: “The person was a 60-year-old with a male body, but they had French plaits, dangly earrings and long fingernails. Some of us were in shock but we felt we weren’t allowed to say anything.”
The sign also quoted World Athletics president Seb Coe as saying: “The integrity and future of women’s sport is at stake.”
A counter-protest was also in Duthie Park on Sunday, with signs from the event suggesting that WWW were focusing on attacking trans people's right to exist rather than issues such as the gender pay gap or domestic violence.
Neale Hanvey MP said he was "proud" to represent the Alba party as he shared its statement on the incident.
I’m so proud to be @AlbaParty “Women's voices will be heard and attacks like these will only strengthen their resolve. The time for silence has long since passed. We call for an end to the vilification, othering, and demonisation of all those that stand up for the hard-won… https://t.co/kngq1BNIUQ
— Neale Hanvey MP ❤️🏴✊ (@JNHanvey) July 24, 2023
Alba had condemned the attack, with a spokesperson saying: "It is too often the case that women defending their rights are met with abuse and vitriolic attack. Far too many politicians have remained silent. The time for silence has long since passed.
"Alba Party affirms women's rights to freedom of expression and association and to speak on any topic without being met by violence
"We call for an end to the vilification, othering, and demonisation of all those that stand up for the hard-won rights of women and girls."
WWW said in a statement: "Make no mistake, we will NOT be silenced. We will NEVER stop speaking up for women's rights and we will NEVER stop hosting events to give women the opportunity to speak about their experiences and concerns."
The group said it had been inspired by Kellie-Jay Keen, the campaigner known for having coined the gender critical slogan "adult human female" and for courting controversy with a global tour of her "Let Women Speak" events.
