Yesterday a group of gender critical feminist campaigners (called TERFs by trans activists) gathered for a protest in the city of Manchester. Their plan was to hold their rally at a public statue of a UK suffragette named Emmeline Pankhurst. However, counter-protesters gathered at the site, including some in black bloc, and refused to let anyone else near it.

A number of men dressed in black with face coverings are embedded within the counter-protest. pic.twitter.com/hQm5s003PR

— Stephen Knight 🎙️ (@GSpellchecker) May 15, 2022

When this podcaster tried to engage the masked trans activists at the statue, they refused to say what they were doing or why (1st clip). They did do some shouting about being on the “right side of history” though (2nd clip).

"We are on the right side of history!" pic.twitter.com/ztdQOQX0UT

— Stephen Knight 🎙️ (@GSpellchecker) May 15, 2022

When one of the gender critical protesters attempted to get to the statue carrying a suffragette flag, she was assaulted.

[Aleks] Kovacevic told The Telegraph: “It was near Emmeline Pankhurst and we are today’s suffragettes, we thought there was space there and we would go and stand there because we all have our rights to peaceful assembly.

“We are literally a group of five middle-aged women. I climbed on the wall and one of [the counter-protesters] clung on to my leg and tried to pull me off, but when I jumped off the wall three of them just attacked me.

“Some were pushing me, some were pulling me. They lost their way a little bit, one pushed me so hard that I had to sit down.”…

“Nothing was done. That whole scuffle lasted a full minute, my friends and another guy had to separate it.

The latter half of the scuffle was recorded. If you look closely, you’ll see one person in black has fallen over the cement head first and is struggling to get up. Two others are shoving and grabbing Kovacevic until others intercede.

Trans rights activists manhandling lone woman. pic.twitter.com/FNksbmtuoN

— Susan “The Actual Susan” McDonnell 💜🤍💚 (@sleeepysandy) May 15, 2022

JK Rowling highlighted the clip saying, “I never expected the right side of history to include so many people in masks intimidating and assaulting women, did you?”

I never expected the right side of history to include so many people in masks intimidating and assaulting
women, did you?
But she never dropped her flag. Emmelline would be proud.
💜🤍💚 https://t.co/Le7Kr7bmCb

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 15, 2022

If you think physical intimidation, assault, targeting opponents' employers and sending women death and rape threats are acceptable as long as it's your side doing it, you support those things, full stop.

If you think history will be kind to you, think again. #LetWomenSpeak

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 16, 2022

Rowling also mocked the black bloc people shown in that previous video suggesting it was a “hilarious own goal.”

'There is no conflict between women's rights and our ideology. To prove it, we've dressed up as ninjas to block public access to a statue of a suffragette. We're confident this has done wonders for our cause and definitely isn't an unintentionally hilarious own goal.' https://t.co/7zjICPqT3W

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 15, 2022

Others were less kind and started referring to the black bloc goons as the “Black Pampers.”

Just heard that this mob of incels have been dubbed the "Black Pampers" and I may not stop laughing until next week. pic.twitter.com/dpP2aNQL4n

— Jane, Empress of the Known Universe (but not a GP) (@blablafishcakes) May 16, 2022

#BlackPampers 👀😮😎 pic.twitter.com/fZirkGUcyn

— mole at the counter (@moleatthedoor) May 16, 2022

In any case, no one was arrested but the cop who showed up did tell the woman who was assaulted to leave. She refused and there was nothing more he could do.

Sarah Phillimore, a barrister and co-founder of the campaign group Fair Cop, said: “It is sadly not remarkable that the police chose to lecture a woman rather than protect her. It’s an inevitable consequence of a politicised police force.”

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said: “We are aware of a video circulating online of a brief altercation at a protest in St. Peter’s Square during a protest on Sunday May 15.

“This incident was not seen by officers present at the time but a nearby patrol did make their way over to the area as it appeared there had been some disturbance. The officer spoke to the woman and encouraged her away from the area to discuss the incident, which she didn’t wish to do.

Here’s another angle apparently showing the police officer’s discussion with the woman who was shoved by the trans activists. Of course anyone who shows up at a protest dressed like this is doing so so they can’t be identified when they do something illegal. That’s the whole point. For police to pretend that’s not the case isn’t very helpful.

I filmed this chap threatening to forcibly remove the woman who was attacked yesterday, which seemed to make the threats stop, and he left her to hold her flag in peace. I was disgusted how these balaclava wearing individuals were protected by the police. #LetWomenSpeak pic.twitter.com/htKCXKd2HB

— FoofEars 🐝 (@foofears) May 16, 2022