Activists at women's rights rally at Glasgow University are refused service at the student union bar 'over their opinions and beliefs' and signs 'that make staff feel unsafe'

Daily Mail​

7 days ago

A group of women's rights activists were refused service and kicked out of a student union bar they had booked 'over their opinions and beliefs'.
Let Women Speak (LWS) had booked a private room at Glasgow University Union (GUU) where they planned to hold a social after their rally on Sunday.
LWS had gathered outside Glasgow University holding banners with slogans such as 'Terf Island' and 'we are all Sandie Peggie' - a reference to the NHS Fife nurse who was suspended after objecting to a transgender doctor using the women's changing rooms.
Campaign leader and gender-critical activist Kellie-Jay Keen, also known as Posie Parker, said the male manager told them he was closing the bar because the women's 'beliefs and opinions could constitute harassment toward their staff and make them feel unsafe'.
Ms Keen said the women's right group had put some of their handmade banners up on the wall but were asked to take them down.
In particular, the manager said one that read 'I'm not a vet, but I know what a dog is' was particularly offensive.
However, when Ms Keen asked why, he apparently refused to give a clear reason and instead said: 'It's just one of those things where we are not going to get into specifics.'
'If you're going to tell us that we're doing something wrong and tell us how to behave, then you are going to have to tell us what the specifics of that are,' Ms Keen told Daily Mail.
She claims other members of staff 'broke GDPR laws' when they began filming the women during the interaction.
The group eventually agreed to take the banner down and a couple of others which contained swear words but refused to remove the rest.
When she asked the manager what he was going to do next, he said he would close the bar.
Ms Keen said she agreed to take down a few more of the banners but the manager got 'flustered' and said he would still be shutting the bar.
Some women from LWS tried to order drinks at the bar downstairs instead but were again refused service.
The manager then came back and asked the group - who had paid a £150 deposit - to leave, claiming members had been 'aggressive' and were 'harassing' staff, which Ms Keen said is '100 per cent not true'.
'Now, I'm obviously not everywhere at all times, but I'm 99 per cent positive that beyond someone saying, "Why aren't you serving us? This is against the Equality Act. You're discriminating against us." I don't think that anyone was harassed,' she added.
The women's right activist said the manager did not point out anyone specifically and believes his claims were a 'fabrication' which he 'used' to 'justify' asking them to leave.
When asked about getting a refund for the £150 deposit they had paid, the manager told them he would 'try' to get it reimbursed.
Ms Keen called the police to report the alleged 'discrimination' and said one of the officers who turned up told her the GUU may have refused their booking had they informed them it was a women's rights event.
'It wasn't a rally, it wasn't a protest, there weren't speeches. I just said to the officer, "do you really want to say that?". It's just so preposterous,' she said.
Ms Keen is 'used' to incidents like this and thinks it 'just proves' she is right, but it was more distressing for other members who were newer or not as seasoned.
She said: 'I think for some of them, it's the first time it's happened to them, and certainly for the young woman who booked the venue. She felt weird. She was very distressed.
'You know you paid a deposit for that venue and food is being arranged at the ticketed event, then you realise that you actually don't have the right to do that and people are quite happy to go against your rights in order to prevent you from from having.'
'You know, it's demented that we're now in an age where, someone like that, an officious little man feels that he has the power, and he did, to completely ruin our night.'
She now plans to sue Glasgow University Union for 'indirect and direct discrimination'.
'I'm just constructing a bit of a letter this morning for subject access request and also comparing their code of conduct with actually what happened and how they didn't adhere to their own code of conduct,' Ms Keen said.
She believes a counter-protest group who had turned up to their rally earlier in the day had put in a complaint and claims they had posted a video of the group on Instagram and tagged the union.
The activist added: 'They're little authoritarians some of these kids. They think they can just stop you saying things they don't like.
'What if the staff had Palestine badges on and some guests had the Star of David around the necks? Where does this end?'