Pictured: Feminist writer Clementine Ford
Feminist writer Clementine Ford has sparked fierce debate online with an impassioned post about male violence in the wake of Sarah Everard’s murder.
Ms Everard vanished while walking home from a friend’s flat in south London on March 3, with her suspected kidnap and murder prompting anger across the world over women’s safety on the streets.
Ms Ford, who said her thoughts were with her UK followers, declared there is ‘no where’ safe for women and that ‘misogyny is real’ in an expletive-laden post on Thursday night.
‘Men are the single biggest threat to women’s lives. Not alcohol. Not short skirts. Not being out alone,’ she wrote.
‘F*** to f***ing f*** anyone who ever wants to #notallmen this s***.
‘I don’t give a F*** that it’s not all of them – it’s enough that women can literally never feel safe.’
Sarah Everard vanished in south London on the night of March 3. A police officer in London’s diplomatic protection force was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of murder following her disappearance
Ms Ford’s urgent address was commended by hundreds of followers, who agreed with her frustrations – but some commenters appeared to completely miss the 40-year-old’s point.
Vile trolls slammed Ms Ford over her ‘not all men’ argument, writing that her heartfelt activism was not helping the cause.
‘This narrative completely falls apart when someone points out the inconvenient fact that men are actually twice as likely as women to be victims of violent crime,’ one troll wrote.
‘And if you want to blame an entire gender for perpetrating it, you may be opening up a demographic can of worms.’
Another person commented: ‘I’m one man. This does not represent me. All men I know, this does not represent them. I’m not an evil, harassing predator person. I am a human being.’
‘I feel attacked by these words. I am a good man. A friend. A father. Please can we not all be kind.’
Ms Ford declared there is ‘no where’ safe for women and that ‘misogyny is real’ in an expletive-laden post on Thursday night
A woman also took offence at Ms Ford’s words.
‘NO TRUE! You are causing UNTRUTHS AND CAUSING MUCH MORE HARM THAN GOOD,’ she wrote.
‘Stop and re-think! The MAJORITY of men are decent human beings!
‘CLEMENTINE YOU ARE CAUSING MUCH DAMAGE PLEASE STOP AND RECONSIDER!’
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Ms Ford’s Facebook post has more than 9,000 likes and has been shared over 1,000 times.
‘I’m devastated and enraged for you all,’ Ms Ford concluded the post.
‘If men aren’t with us, they’re against us. There is no room for passive bystanders. They can fall in line or get the f*** out of the way.’
Vile trolls slammed Ms Ford over her ‘not all men’ argument, writing that her heartfelt activism was not helping the cause
Ms Ford’s post comes as thousands of women prepare to march around the country on Monday, following allegations of sexual assault by members of Parliament.
The March 4 Justice rallies will be held in each major city, with attendees encouraged to dress in black and display posters.
Activists are calling for a full police investigation into the recent sexual assault allegations and alleged misconduct by Parliament members and staff, as well as an independent review of gendered violence in Australia’s Parliaments.
The protesters are also asking for the implementation of strategies across the country that would enact cultural change in the workplace.
The March 4 Justice Facebook page description reads: ‘Women have been struggling for our rights alone for too long, and enough is enough.
‘We believe by being inclusive and all genders working together, we can achieve more.’
A serving police officer remains in custody after being detained on suspicion of Ms Everard’s murder and kidnap, and a separate allegation of indecent exposure.
Ms Ford’s urgent address was commended by hundreds of followers, who agreed with her frustrations – but some commenters appeared to completely miss the 40-year-old’s point
Human remains – which have not yet been identified – were found in an area of woodland in Ashford, in Kent, on Wednesday.
On Thursday night, Ms Everard’s family released a statement describing her as a ‘shining example to us all’, and said she had ‘brought so much joy to our lives’.
They said: ‘Our beautiful daughter Sarah was taken from us and we are appealing for any information that will help to solve this terrible crime.
‘Sarah was bright and beautiful – a wonderful daughter and sister. She was kind and thoughtful, caring and dependable. She always put others first and had the most amazing sense of humour.
‘She was strong and principled and a shining example to us all. We are very proud of her and she brought so much joy to our lives.
‘We would like to thank our friends and family for all their support during this awful time and we would especially like to thank Sarah’s friends who are working tirelessly to help.’
Ms Ford’s Facebook post has more than 9,000 likes and has been shared over 1,000 times. Pictured: Comments from trolls
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