(Warning: this post discusses assault against women and domestic violence against women. It contains a news video where assault is shown in the thumbnail.)
British politicians don't have the best track record with women lately.
If you're not aware (I know a lot of you are international - and I utterly adore you!) we've had two serious incidents involving British politicians and women over the last few weeks.
Both incidents involved aggression. One definitely involved violence.
Both politicians were male Conservatives.
Make of that what you will. I just submit it to the jury m'lud.
(Brit slang notes: m'lud is a shortening of 'my Lord,' which is what you're supposed to say to judges etc. M'lud is also used sarcastically. Because British.)
The first incident involves (now-suspended) government minister Mark Field, who responded to a peaceful climate change protester by forcefully removing her from the room.
Here's a video but there's a MASSIVE WARNING here - it's harsher than you'd think. I flinch every time I watch it.
(Warning: mild flashing images)
Ugh! That hand on her neck... it's not OK.
His response is that he thought she was armed.
Maybe he did, but it's not like he loosened his grip when he realised she wasn't a threat, is it?
And somehow people turn it around on her - 'she shouldn't've been there' etc.
No, but she was a PROTESTER.
If she should have been there, it wouldn't've been much of a protest.
His response was disproportionately aggressive, ok? It just was.
And then there's Boris Johnson.
Boris Johnson is one of two candidates to become the next leader of the Conservative Party - which by default would make him the next Prime Minister.
(The leader of the majority party becomes Prime Minister in the British system. Ok? Ok.)
Last week the news broke that the police had been called to a domestic argument at Boris' house.
(Everyone calls him Boris as opposed to Mr Johnson... just accept it and move on.)
Boris recently left his wife and moved in with his girlfriend which... it's Boris, so no-one's that bothered.
But he had an argument with said girlfriend, Carrie Symonds.
...An argument so loud and aggressive that his neighbours called the police.
The police found no problem - which, fine, there may not have been. Sometimes arguments sound worse than they are, and sometimes they don't.
But the argument seems to have become that the neighbours shouldn't've called the police and... WHAT THE F**K?
If you hear an argument in the middle of the night that contains the world 'get off me,' and 'get out,' and then hear a loud bang, a scream, and then quiet - YOU PHONE THE GODDAMNED POLICE.
I've heard people say the neighbours should've knocked the door instead - they did. No-one answered.
YOU PHONE THE GODDAMNED POLICE.
To suggest otherwise is irresponsible and dangerous.
Women are killed by their partners or ex-partners in England and Wales (the rest of the UK has separate statistics) at an average rate of two women per week.
TWO WOMEN PER WEEK.
If you hear a potentially violent domestic argument - call the police.
Let them check it out. Don't decide it's 'probably nothing' - let someone go in and check out the situation.
It really worries me when people are happier for women to be in danger than for men to be inconvenienced.
And of course, I'm not excluding the possibility that any gender can be the victim, and any gender can be the aggressor. Please call the police if you think that ANYONE is in danger.
But the numbers show that it's women who are most at risk here.
And it seems to me that making so many weak excuses for men - and making it women's fault - is something that shouldn't be happening in 2019.
I'd have more sympathy for Boris Johnson if he'd said something to the affect of: it sounded worse than it was, but my neighbours should ABSOLUTELY have called the police.
What do you think of this mess?
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Last updated: 15th July 2019
I think Britain is in a bit of a pickle with this mess. And this man is supposed to be the next prime minister? Oh no.
ReplyDeleteUgh, I mean, there's a possibility he won't be... but it's voted for by *his* party, no-one else, so... *sighs*
DeleteI don't understand why people are saying you *shouldn't* call the police - like, dudes, what is wrong with you?! <3
ReplyDelete