this post was submitted on 11 Oct 2024
497 points (95.6% liked)

UK Politics

3108 readers
89 users here now

General Discussion for politics in the UK.
Please don't post to both [email protected] and [email protected] .
Pick the most appropriate, and put it there.

Posts should be related to UK-centric politics, and should be either a link to a reputable news source for news, or a text post on this community.

Opinion pieces are also allowed, provided they are not misleading/misrepresented/drivel, and have proper sources.

If you think "reputable news source" needs some definition, by all means start a meta thread. (These things should be publicly discussed)

Posts should be manually submitted, not by bot. Link titles should not be editorialised.

Disappointing comments will generally be left to fester in ratio, outright horrible comments will be removed.
Message the mods if you feel something really should be removed, or if a user seems to have a pattern of awful comments.

[email protected] appears to have vanished! We can still see cached content from this link, but goodbye I guess! :'(

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

LONDON, 11 October 2024, 3:50 PM—6 young trans activists infiltrated the LGB Alliance’s annual conference at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Hall in Westminster, some of whom fled quickly after while others were held by security for a period before being let go. They did so with intentions of ending the conference early, which they describe as a horrendous breeding ground for fervent and violent transphobia.

The group released approximately 6,000 crickets from bags hidden on their persons which they snuck through security just before a talk on the “dangers” of medical transition. They made sure to spread the crickets (which do not infest and pose no danger to humans) across the entire hall, in order to ensure the conference could be safely brought to an end. The speech was postponed and later speeches were cancelled. They filmed some of the earlier speeches using hidden cameras in order to “expose the fact that this group really has no interest whatsoever in promoting the rights of cis LGB people, and exists entirely to hurt the trans community as much as they possibly can”. Speakers at the anti-trans event told the audience to “Squash them, kill them, kill the buggers!”

One bug carrier said they’ve “been feeling physically ill with nerves, mentally cycling through all the possibilities and worst case scenarios, a thousand times over. I’m scared. But I fear more for the outcomes if we don’t go through with this action.”

The LGB Alliance claims to stand for the rights of lesbians, bisexuals, and gay men, but a challenge from Mermaids and the Good Law Project against their charitable status objects that they “dedicate most of their output to denigrating trans people”. The crick-kids say that “the LGB Alliance’s hate and cruelty resonates out into the political sphere”. They believe the result of the conference, if it had gone ahead as planned, would have been an acceleration of transphobic hate and misinformation, which drives much of the attack on their healthcare and dignity in all other parts of their lives.

Speaking hours before entering the conference:

“It makes me really angry to see trans kids being talked about like a bunch of brainless children who can’t make decisions for or speak for themselves. I’m sick of having our voices taken away by bigoted people like the LGBA who speak over us instead of listening.”

“Whilst we, the trans community, cobble together what little support we can to keep each other safe, this group claiming to stand for social progress spends hundreds of thousands of pounds annually to keep us down. We are trans kids, we are loved, and we deserve dignity.”

“They may try to ‘sound the alarm’ on trans youth accessing life-saving healthcare but we cannot and will not let them. Trans youth are powerful and we will let them fucking know it.”

All trans youth apprehended by attendees have been released and returned safely home.

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 114 points 1 month ago

A bad day for hate groups is a good day for everyone else.

[–] [email protected] 84 points 1 month ago (2 children)

From now on, this is how I assume one plays cricket.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 month ago

The Indian subcontinent shaking and crying right now.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago

A new use for the term 'bat for the other side'.

[–] [email protected] 79 points 1 month ago

“Squash them, kill them, kill the buggers!” a speaker urged the audience.

Sure, but what did they say about the crickets?

[–] [email protected] 64 points 1 month ago

Reaction in the conference room:
crickets

[–] [email protected] 56 points 1 month ago (3 children)

I have so many questions. Primarily where does one procure 6000 crickets and do they offer lay away.

[–] [email protected] 74 points 1 month ago

Probably companies that supply live food for reptiles. Possibly bait shops.

[–] [email protected] 41 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

Apparently at Critter Depot, if you’re stateside. 2,000 crickets for $54. Subscription discounts available.

https://www.thecritterdepot.com/

[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Do they offer blood rain as well?

Asking for a friend.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

Can they do delivery via chasm in the sky?

I'm the friend.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 month ago (1 children)

You can get 10k crickets for $180 at reptilesncritters.com much better deal.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

How about ten million fireflies?

[–] [email protected] 25 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Looking at the website for company I order mealworms from when my colony hasnt bred enough of them for gecko food, a box of 1000 crickets is like, a bit over 20 bucks, not counting shipping. So assuming the UK has a similar business somewhere with roughly equivalent prices, 6000 is like a couple hundred bucks worth of crickets, or less. Not cheap but honestly not terribly expensive for such a huge number of insects, probably wouldnt even need the layaway

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago (6 children)

Speaking of "cheap" I wonder how they managed to keep the crickets quiet before releasing them?

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

crickets only chirp when completely adult and looking for a female (usually past the 35 day mark), while pet food stores usually ship them while they're still in their teen phase( 20 days), where they are silent

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Oh, so the ones I hear in the pet store are probably escapees who lived to adulthood...

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

either that or they keep some of them to make them reproduce

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago

This is the key question. And how they managed to sneak them through the security. Large events like this - security usually check the bags.

load more comments (4 replies)
[–] [email protected] 53 points 1 month ago

I hope it really bugged them.

[–] [email protected] 53 points 1 month ago
[–] [email protected] 51 points 1 month ago (4 children)

Successful non-violent direct action, good for them.

[–] [email protected] 38 points 1 month ago

What a great modern take on the US Intelligence 1944 sabotage field manual

Anyone can break up a showing of an enemy propaganda film by putting two or three dozen large moths in a paper bag. Take the bag to the movies with you, put it on the floor in an empty section of the theater as you go in and leave it open. The moths will fly out and climb into the projector beam, so that the film will be obscured by fluttering shadows.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago

This is advanced pacifism

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] [email protected] 47 points 1 month ago

Pretty punk rock

[–] [email protected] 44 points 1 month ago

The kids are alright

[–] [email protected] 38 points 1 month ago

At what point in your life, does someone ,who your never going to meet or even know exists, makes you wake up every day going "I must crush these people!"

And they say Trans people are mentally ill..

[–] [email protected] 36 points 1 month ago

Wow, I really admire their bravery. That must’ve been terrifying to attend.

[–] [email protected] 34 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

The heroes we need, but don't deserve! Mad respect.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 1 month ago

Speakers at a supposedly gay friendly event are calling on their audience to "kill the buggers" says all you need to know about the group.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Stop burying the lede! How does one keep a bunch of crickets quiet in the dark?

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago (1 children)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 month ago

clever. commentators on the event can't use the "that's not cricket" line.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago
[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago

Fantastic, well done! ✊

load more comments
view more: next ›