Not “a safe space” for women

How dare women be in Tahrir Square? Especially filthy foreign women?

According to Heather, an Arab-American living in the Egyptian capital, she and her Swedish and Spanish roommates took to Tahrir as thousands were converging there to mark one-year since the ousting of former President Hosni Mubarak.

“They started fighting over who was going to do what,” Heather told Bikyamasr.com in an exclusive interview. She came forward after seeing the report on a foreign woman who was stripped naked and assaulted only hours after her own incident.

“My roommates and I fell to the ground when they attacked us. The people pulled our pants off even as we yelled and tried to fight,” she continued.

…

She said that after the men pulled their pants off, they continued to grab and grobe the women’s bodies. “It is disgusting. They put fingers up my ass,” she revealed.

…

Later in the night, the issue of sexual violence toward women was sparked after an eyewitness reported on the micro-blogging site Twitter that a foreign woman was stripped, groped and assaulted by another mob of men in the square.

The woman, whose identity has not been revealed, was taken away in an ambulance after being assaulted for 10 minutes. Her husband reportedly was unable to intervene and witnessed the incident.

“I saw the woman and then dozens of men surrounded her and started grabbing her, when she screamed for help some people came, but they were hit in the face,” wrote one witness.

What happened next was “appalling,” said the trusted witness, who asked for anonymity. “The men just started tearing at her clothes and grabbing her body all over. When she fought back, they pushed her. It was chaos.”

There were unconfirmed reports that the men “violated” her with their hands.

…

Throughout the day, sexual harassment towards women has been increasing and more and more reports of women being grabbed and groped began being reported.

I find this so depressing I can’t think of anything else to say about it.

Garzón on trial for investigating crimes against humanity

The trial of Baltasar Garzón is very sinister.

Observers from the world’s main human rights groups are in Madrid to monitor the second trial of the Spanish magistrate Baltasar Garzón, who is accused of abusing his position by opening an investigation into the deaths of 114,000 people during the Franco dictatorship.

…

Amnesty International (AI), Human Rights Watch (HRW) and the International Commission of Jurists (IJC) have all sent observers amid concerns that Garzón is being targeted because of his innovative use of international human rights laws. [Read more…]

Oh no you don’t

The LSE Atheists, Secularists and Humanists Facebook page has a new logo.

There’s more, but I’m not sure they want me quoting them; I’ve asked and I’m waiting to hear back. The logo however is publicly visible.

You in the plaid shirt: more rage please

And in case we haven’t seen enough screaming bullies yet, let us change the scene to Jaipur.

Indian Muslims shout slogans against Salman Rushdie in Jaipur, Rajasthan, during this year's Jaipur Literature Festival. [Read more…]

Shouty shout shout

And here is a much more extended version of The Visit of the Agitated Gentlemen With Elevated Voices.

They’re fascism, alive and kicking and right in your face. I’m dumb with admiration for Irshad and her colleague (the two of them were on the stage talking when the Elevated Voices started screaming hoarsely and puffing themselves out like angry cats) who stayed calm in the face of that. I’m dumb with admiration for the woman standing protectively in front of them along with others, looking matter of fact and immovable.

I hate the Agitated Gentlemen. I hate them all. They should join a gorilla troupe and try to become alpha males there. That would keep them busy and out of our hair.

The art of persuasion

Even Irshad Manji, who loves Allah herself, deserves to have her neck broken according to some suave fellows from an outfit called Sharia4Belgium who mobbed her book launch in Amsterdam.

A protection racket

The LSE student paper reports on the cartoons and free speech and “Islamophobia” and shut-uppery affair. It has details.

On 20th January, members of ASH Society met with Stanley Ellerby-English, Students’ Union Activities and Development Officer, who explained “the situation, the complaints that had been made and how the action of posting these cartoons was in breach of the Students’ Union policy on inclusion and the society’s constitution.” The society agreed to certain outcomes, though these have not been disclosed yet; however, the Students’ Union will “now be telling the society that they cannot continue these actions under the brand of the SU.” [Read more…]

If we want to live together peacefully

Jesus and Mo are watching current events. (Well they would be, wouldn’t they.) (That is one good thing about all this; Streisand effect; lots of new fans of J and M.)

multi

It’s a boy it’s a frog it’s a plane it’s WEIRD

Oh for god’s sake.

I was looking at something (reluctantly) in the Daily Mail, and noticed another headline, so took a look at that…

Young girl has short hair shock-horror!!!1111!!!!!!!!!!!

I know the Mail specializes in being as stupid as possible, but honestly………….

Angelina Jolie’s little tomboy Shiloh unveils her very short haircut

Angelina Jolie has said daughter Shiloh prefers to ‘dress like a boy’ and ‘thinks she’s one of the brothers.’

And now the five-year-old has a new short back and sides like her older male siblings.

Shiloh dressed in utilitarian black for the fun day out with her mother and two of her brothers, Knox, three, and eight-year-old Pax, which exacerbated the effect.

Exacerbated the effect?? Made a bad thing even worse? Because a child of five has short hair? Jeezis, police gender roles much?

I feel like starting a Butch League or something.