Sex workers organising and fighting back
A joint Workers’ Liberty / Labour Representation Committee fringe
meeting at Unison National Conference
Opposing motion 117, which support the “Swedish model” on prostitution
Speaker from the International Union of Sex Workers/GMB sex workers’ branch. Chaired by Alison Brown, recently elected to Unison Health Service Group Executive (pc)
6pm, Wednesday 16 June
Premiere Inn Hotel, Westbourne Road, Bournemout
Experience: I ran a brothel in a country village
This article originally appeared in the Guardian on 5 June 2010
Claire Finch: read other related posts here
Most people would think where I live is the last place you’d expect to find a brothel or massage parlour: a pretty bungalow in a quiet cul-de-sac of a sleepy Bedfordshire village. But I’ve run one from my home for the [...]
Prostitute wins court case
In a amazing victory, on 29 April 2010 in Luton Crown Court, Claire Finch was found not guilty of a criminal charge of keeping a brothel. The jury, in line with public opinion, refused to criminalise Ms Finch for working together with friends from her own home for safety. The jury of 8 men and [...]
As the dust settles
:: this post was originally posted here
It has been instructive watching the way the media in the UK, and those who were actually caught up in the ‘chaos’, have reacted to the consequences of the suspension of air travel in Western Europe courtesy of Eyjafjallajokull, have reacted to the inability to travel as of where [...]
Bourgeois, anti-sex worker feminism
This article is from the Workers Liberty site and is by author: Jade Lori Baker
The launch of UK Feminista – a new feminist organisation seeking to link up grassroots feminist activists with larger campaigning bodies - sees sex workers take another quiet but harsh blow.
In the run up to the launch last Saturday, Kat Banyard, [...]
The Tory-like silence over refugees
[this article was originally posted here]
Away from the calamity and misery Blair’s government visited upon brown people, have you seen the misery and calamity his successor’s is visiting upon brown people?
How about…
A group of women being held at Yarl’s Wood immigration centre are refusing food for a fifth day in protest over the length of [...]
Solidarity with Yarl’s Wood Women on hunger strike
London Detainee Solidarity Network has called a picket of Serco’s London office (Serco manage Yarl’s Wood on behalf of UK Border Agency) in support of the Yarl’s Wood women hunger strikers.
Friday 12th February 2.30pm
Serco’s offices
18-22 Hand Court (off High Holborn),
London, WC1V 6JF.
Please distribute.
End the Detention of Foreign Nationals Now!
Source for this Message: Women behind the Wire @ Yarl’s Wood IRC
Since the 5th of February 2010, we the residents at Yarl’s Wood Immigration Removal Centre are on hunger strike which involves over 84 + women, who are protesting against the period of time spent in
detention and the treatment that they receive while being detained.
The [...]
On Sex Work
passed by the Greater London Labour Representation Committee
http://www.l-r-c.org.uk/
The criminalisation of those who work in the sex industry helps to divide the working class. It separates illegal workers from legal workers and drives people into clandestine situations where they face dangerous and exploitative conditions.
Moral panic over trafficking has created a smokescreen behind which the state has [...]
Soho: Justice prevails against prejudice and witch-hunts!
report from the English Collective of Prostitutes on 18 Feb 2009
… also an interesting (and dare we say balanced) article appeared in the Evening Standard (below)
An application by the Metropolitan Police and Westminster Council for a Closure Order against two flats at 61 Dean Street, Soho, was dismissed today.
With the help of Soho sex workers [...]