Police U-turn on refusal to investigate 'historic' trans activists' death threat signs - after realising they happened at the weekend

Police are investigating death threats on placards seen during a protest against the Supreme Court ruling on the definition of a woman.
A number of activists were pictured holding signs threatening violence towards 'TERFS' - including disturbing images of people being stabbed and hanged - while taking part in Saturday's protest in Central London.
While most held up placards fighting for trans rights, two signs spotted at the rally in Parliament Square showed an illustration of hangman alongside the words 'The only good TERF is a .... TERF'.
The term 'TERF' is used to describe people whose views on gender identity are seen as hostile towards transgender people.
Meanwhile, another sign showed an image of a man with a bloodied knife stuck in his eye, alongside the caption: 'Are you a... transphobe? Why not try a... D.I.Y. LOBOTOMY.'
The Met Police said it was reviewing footage of the protest and vowed to take action if there were signs being displayed that broke the law.
But it claimed the images and signs were from 'historic events, did not take place in London, or do not constitute a criminal offence'.
The force has since changed its stance after the Telegraph reportedly presented it with evidence that the signs were present during the protest on Saturday.
A third graphic sign read: 'Trans women are women. Trans men are men. If you don't like that, go s*** somewhere else.'
Examples on the sign of where to do that included 'on a pile of Harry Potter books' or 'on the head of another TERF'.
Protestors also targeted a number of statues in the capital. The Metropolitan Police said they were investigating the incidents as criminal damage after the statues were daubed with graffiti.
Notably, a statue of the suffragette Millicent Fawcett was defaced with a banner reading 'F** rights'.
Millicent Fawcett was a pioneer for women's rights and led the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) and advocated for women's rights through peaceful, non-violent methods, including lobbying and public speaking.
Other defaced statues included those of Jan Christian Smuts, Nelson Mandela, Sir Robert Peel, Benjamin Disraeli, Earl of Derby and Viscount Palmerston.
Parliament square is home to 12 statues of political figures including Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln and Mahatma Gandhi.
Officers are currently searching through CCTV footage from the surrounding area to find the culprits and are appealing to anyone who may have been in attendance with information, footage or pictures to come forward by calling 101 quoting 01/7396927/25.
Chief Superintendent, Stuart Bell, who led the policing operation for the protest, said: 'Criminal damage and vandalism like this has no place on the streets of London and spoils the area for locals and those visiting.
'While the police support the public's right to protest, criminality like this is senseless and unacceptable. We are pursuing this and will take action against those responsible.
'Working with the Greater London Authority (GLA) plans are underway to remove the graffiti but this requires specialist equipment and we are confident this will be done shortly.
'We are keen to speak to those who saw anything on the day and urge anyone with information, pictures or footage to come forward.'
The protest came days after the UK Supreme Court ruled that the definition of a woman is based on biological sex, meaning transgender women are no longer considered women in the eyes of the law.
The ruling means trans women with a gender recognition certificate (GRC) could potentially be excluded from single-sex spaces if 'proportionate'.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Metro

35 minutes ago

• Metro

BBC Newsreader eye-rolls and refuses to say 'pregnant people' instead of women

BBC newsreader Martine Croxall appeared to roll her eyes as she switched 'pregnant people' for 'women' during a news report. The 56-year-old news host was presenting a segment on new research about the number of heat-related deaths expected amid Britain's current heatwave when the moment occured. Initially quoting the phrasing used in the research, Croxall said: 'Malcolm Mistry, who was involved in the research, said the aged, pregnant people… women… and those with pre-existing health conditions need to take precautions.' 'I have a new favourite BBC presenter,' Harry Potter author J.K Rowling, who has faced backlash for her views on the transgender community and trans-inclusive langage, posted on X. Rowling has previously taken issue with phrases such as 'people who mensturate'. After one commenter on X said they 'hope you don't get hauled before the BBC News beak,' the Celebrity mastermind winner said she was 'braced'. The national broadcaster currently has no specific policy of saying pregnant people. Last year, Croxall notably returned to the BBC after taking legal action against the broadcaster. She claimed that she was one of a group of BBC employees kept off-air during a rebrand and returned to her place behind the newsdesk after an employment tribunal. The use of gender-neutral language within maternity care has been a topic of fierce debate in recent years. In 2021 a Brighton hospital faced backlash for rolling out a 'gender-includive language policy'. Elsewhere a maternity bill in the UK changed the word 'person' to 'mothers and 'expecting mothers' after complaints. The trans rights movement has faced intense scrutiny with figures like Rowling stoking debate such as her support of the superme court ruling around the definition of a woman. Sir Stephen Fry, who has previously defended the writer, appeared to change his stance in recent comments saying she has been 'radicalised'. 'She has been radicalised, I fear, and it may be she has been radicalised by TERFs, but also by the vitriol that is thrown at her. More Trending 'It is unhelpful and only hardens her and will only continue to harden her, I am afraid.' He added that she is a 'lost cause for us'. 'I am not saying that she should not be called out when she says things that are really cruel, wrong and mocking,' he said at a live event. Metro has reached out to BBC for comment. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. View More » MORE: Dame Prue Leith's son blasted after saying she doesn't 'see sense' in debate MORE: Dragons' Den star reveals their strict rule children's friends must follow MORE: Disgraced Strictly star slams 'double standards' at BBC after Naga Munchetty 'sex jibe'

Metro

3 hours ago

• Metro

Man, 22, fighting for life after stabbing outside prayer centre

A 22-year-old man has been critically hurt after a stabbing outside a Muslim prayer centre in west London. The emergency services were alerted at about 2.20pm today after reports of a stabbing on Hanworth Road, Hounslow. They found an injured man who had been stabbed outside a Muslim prayer centre. He was rushed to the hospital, where his injuries are still being assessed. Footage from the scene shows the pavement covered in blood and debris as the emergency crews worked to help the man. There isn't believed to be any link to the prayer centre, Metro understands. Part of Hanworth Road remains cordoned off for a crime scene investigation near the High Street junctions. No arrests have been made at this stage and enquiries continue, the Met Police said. Dozens of buses have been diverted, including bus numbers 81, 110, 111, 116, 117, 120, 203, 222, 235, 237, 281, 432, E8, H22, H28, H32, H98. A police spokesperson told Metro: 'Officers joined London Ambulance Service on Hanworth Road near to the junction of the High Street, where a 22-year-old man had suffered stab wounds. 'He was taken to hospital for further treatment, where his injuries are still being assessed. 'A crime scene remains in place, with bus routes on diversion, while officers undertake enquiries. 'No arrests have as yet been made. 'Enquiries are ongoing.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Piccadilly line's new air conditioned trains delayed while London faces heatwave MORE: France hit by 'syringe attacks' with 145 injured at popular music festival MORE: Bride among two killed after gunmen open fire at wedding reception in France

The Sun

4 hours ago

• The Sun

JK Rowling praises BBC newsreader Martine Croxall for refusing to say ‘pregnant people' live on air

AUTHOR JK Rowling has praised BBC newsreader Martine Croxall after she refused to refer to "pregnant people" live on air. The Harry Potter writer, 59, joked that she had a "new favourite BBC presenter" after Martine overruled her autocue which referred to "pregnant people" being at risk during the recent hot weather. 4 4 JK Rowling has been a prominent women's rights campaigner and has often been vocal on what she calls "sex-based rights" for several years. In the clip from a recent BBC News show, Martine introduces comments from new research about the number of heat-related deaths expected during the ongoing hot weather period. However, as she reads along the autocue, she raises an eyebrow and smirks at the camera after having to say "pregnant people" could be at risk in the heat. She then quickly overrides this, saying "women" instead, before moving on with the rest of the script. Martine read: "Malcolm Mistry, who was involved in the research, said the aged, pregnant people - women! - and those with pre-existing health conditions need to take precautions." Reposting the clip on X, JK Rowling praised the BBC presenter, saying she was her "new favourite". It is understood that the term "pregnant people" had been written by the researchers and was being quoted, rather than the BBC having written the phrase. Other commenters also jumped in to praise "brilliant" Martine, with one saying: "I hope you don't get hauled before the BBC News break." In response, Martine joked: "Braced x". Martine has been a veteran broadcaster for the BBC, having first joined the company more than 30 years ago in 1991. USA Gymnastics Reconsiders Trans Athlete Policy Amid Biles-Gaines Feud She then began working for the BBC News team in 2001. This comes just weeks after the same presenter challenged a transgender activist who questioned whether the definition of a woman could be determined by biological sex. While interviewing ex-Labour MSP candidate Heather Herbert, following the Supreme Court's ruling that the term women referred to one's biological sex, Martine found herself in a heated debate. JK Rowling in bitter spat with Boy George as singer calls her 'rich bored bully' over trans rights JK Rowling has blasted Boy George for calling her a 'rich bored bully' – pointing out he once served time for whipping a male escort with a chain. The Harry Potter author posted a furious response on X after the Culture Club singer waded into a spat with another user who claimed Ms Rowling was 'the person maybe most responsible for the push to take away trans rights'. When Ms Rowling asked the X user 'which rights have been taken away from trans people?', Boy George responded: 'The right to be left alone by a rich bored bully!' Ms Rowling posted a lengthy rebuttal in which she accused the Karma Chameleon singer, whose real name is George O'Dowd, of sneering at 'unenlightened plebs' who reject the notion that trans women are women. She added: 'I've never been given 15 months for handcuffing a man to a wall and beating him with a chain.' Boy George was jailed in 2009 for handcuffing an escort to his bed and inflicting 'wholly gratuitous violence' at a property in Shoreditch, east London, in April 2007. The court was told that the cocaine-fuelled attack on Audun Carlsen, a Norwegian man, had been 'premeditated and callous' and had left the victim 'traumatised'. Boy George had been found guilty at an earlier trial of false imprisonment and beating Carlsen with a chain with the help of another man, whom he had never identified. Ms Rowling rejected Boy George's claim that she was entitled. During a conversation on clarifying "what the word woman means", Heather declared she felt like she was "under attack" from Martine's questioning. The veteran BBC newsreader countered by questioning how it could be an "attack" when all she was asking for was clarification. She then told Heather that the ruling made it clear "sex is binary and immutable" after the trans activist denied that local authorities - who have not protected single sex spaces based on biological sex - may have to reverse policies as a result of the ruling. 4