I am delighted to tell the readers/members of A Voice For Men that MRA London is up and running.
In addition to the MRA London Blog, a group of about six to eight people – men and women – have begun meeting regularly in central London over the last couple of months. Although the discussions have been interesting and people have come up with some promising ideas, up until this week we had not done any practical activism. The ‘A’ in MRA is there for a reason!
So on Wednesday October 3rd the first MRA action took place. As you can see, it involved a ‘scale’ of a statue and producing publicity for men’s rights and A Voice For Men. The statue is in Westminster, right next to the Houses of Parliament, and it is of Emmeline Pankhurst, a key member of the Suffragettes movement. The banner that MRA London activists Archi, Rod, Andy and others put up reads: ‘Don’t blame me for Harriet Harman’! You may know Harman as one of the Featured Bigots at AVFM. As Harman’s AVFM profile says:
‘Her main tactic throughout her career has been to tell women persistently that they are forever being abused and cheated by men (sexually, financially, emotionally, physically etc) and that if they support her, she can protect them from these wicked men. Many of the highly unjust anti-male laws that now exist not only in the UK, but across the western world, are the direct result of her deceits and her dishonesty.’
Here is a link to the reprimand from a judge for Harman’s misrepresentation of UK rape statistics. There is a bit more information about the MRA action on the AVfM Forums.
Whilst there are arguments to be had about the validity and politics of the Women’s Suffrage Movement, the London MRA ‘stunt’ highlights how the UK government over the years has turned a concern for ‘women’s rights’ into misandry and anti-men laws.
As an ex feminist woman, I am pleased to have discovered the MRA London group very welcoming. This is a message worth telling, not only to MRAs worldwide but also to feminists and those who join them in painting MRA as a “misogynist” and “anti-women” movement. So far, I have found the opposite to be true. If only we could say the same about feminism and misandry!
The next MRA London meeting is Tuesday 16th October, 2pm at Royal Festival Hall South Bank, London. For more details email me at quietriotgirltwitter@gmail.com
A quote from MRA London: Men die at an earlier age than women (partly due to lower health spending and more hazardous jobs) but must wait longer to receive a pension.
Fathers are treated as passing guests in their own families. Children generaly go to the mother on divorce and child support almost always goes the same way. Children are treated as posessions to be argued over rather than human beings who love both their parents.
Men are discriminated against in the income tax, benefits and housing systems. Child benefit is paid to the mother by default regardless of which parent cares for the child. Men are typically sent to prison for twice as long as a woman for the same crime and women are given preference to men in all forms of government employment except for the most dangerous such as the armed forces. You need only visit a government office to know this is true.
The media and education system like to pretend men are useless. Is it a surprise that so many boys and young men kill themselves or simply give up? –Dean Esmay
