End authoritarian policing
Tell Gwent police to use common sense
victory
Tell Gwent police to use common sense
On Sunday, 23 January, disabled womens’ rights activist Jennifer Swayne was arrested for posting stickers that protested gender ideology. These stickers contained no mention of either the transgender community or transgender individuals; they merely pointed out domestic violence statistics and biological facts.
During the arrest, Ms Swayne was subject to police brutality that included twisting her arm, which contains splints for her rheumatoid arthritis behind her back, causing her to cry out in pain, and then lifted her into the back of a police van, where she was forced to lie on her back, next to her mobility scooter.
After being held for 10 hours without access to her vital medications, Ms Swayne was interviewed in the early hours of the morning on suspicion of vandalism and public order offences, with hate crime as an aggravating factor. Despite being held in custody for such an extended period, Jenni was only given a bowl of cornflakes to eat.
Worst still, Ms Swayne, who is vulnerable because of her disabilities, was eventually released at 3.30 am on her mobility scooter, without access to her phone. Her route home involved a journey in the dark, with no light on her scooter, up a steep hill and along a road that ranks as Britain’s 6th most violent.
Immediately after her arrest, Gwent police obtained a warrant to search Ms Swayne’s home for ‘any material of a transphobic nature that could be used in the commission of a hate crime’. As well as confiscating her stickers and posters, Gwent police also removed a book - a series of essays about gender dysphoria in children edited by prominent academic Heather Brunskell-Evans and Ms Swayne’s notes on this book.
This is chilling. Gwent police appear to have been raiding the property of a disabled activist to literally ‘check her thinking’. This type of behaviour has no place in an open and democratic society.
In the meantime, following news of Jennifer’s arrest, activists have been peppering lamposts and bus shelters in Gwent with stickers in support of gender ideology which are infinitely more offensive than anything Ms Swayne may have posted, containing images of transgender women carrying guns and profane language.
Like Jennifer Swayne, the male activists responsible for these gratuitously offensive stickers are identifiable, however, Gwent police appear to be ignoring their activity. The activists even claim to have support from Gwent police, who support their side of the transgender debate.
Sign the petition letting Pam Kelly, the Chief Constable of Gwent Police and Jeff Cuthbert, the elected police and crime commissioner for the area, know how scandalised you are by the behaviour of their police force. Demand that the investigation into Jennifer Swayne is dropped.