A Brighton peer said that she received “misogynistic” hate mail after her modest proposal that men should be subject to a 6pm curfew.
But the row had, she said, also prompted some men to talk to their wives, partners and sisters and they had been shocked by what they heard.
Jenny Jones, also known as Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb, made her “not entirely serious” curfew suggestion in a debate on the Domestic Abuse Bill in the House of Lords.
She told fellow peers: “In the week that Sarah Everard was abducted and … killed – because remains have been found in a woodland in Kent – I argue that, at the next opportunity for any bill that is appropriate, I might put in an amendment to create a curfew for men on the streets after 6pm.
“I feel this would make women a lot safer and discrimination of all kinds would be lessened.”
After an outcry, Baroness Jones told Sky TV: “It’s not an entirely serious suggestion as I don’t have the power to do that.
“I was just trying to highlight that when police victim-blame by telling women to stay home, we don’t react. We just think it’s normal.
“When I suggest it about men, everyone’s up in arms. What’s the difference? The difference is that there’s misogyny out there. We need to fix it.”
There were reports that Metropolitan Police officers, going house to house after Sarah Everard was abducted, had told some women to stay safe by staying indoors.
The Met said that it had issued general advice to women to stay safe but said that it had not asked women to stay at home.
Baroness Jones was also reported to have said: “The whole government does not seem to understand the pressure women are under and the deep misogyny buried in our society.”
I’ve had emails from men saying that my attempt to show the hypocrisy of victim blaming, ie expecting women to protect themselves rather than men to control their violence, has encouraged them to talk to wives, partners, sisters about their experiences. And the men are shocked.
— Jenny Jones (@GreenJennyJones) March 14, 2021
Today, on Mother’s Day, she tweeted: “I’ve had emails from men saying that my attempt to show the hypocrisy of victim blaming, ie, expecting women to protect themselves rather than men to control their violence, has encouraged them to talk to wives, partners, sisters about their experiences. And the men are shocked.
“Most of the abusive tweets I’m getting are from men with zero or v few followers. I am using the block function with relish.”
She also called for the Met commissioner Cressida Dick to be sacked after the force’s handling of the vigil close to where Sarah Everard vanished – including the arrests of those taking part.
Elsewhere protests were allowed by other police forces, with measures to enable people to take part while maintaining a social distance.
In Brighton though, Sussex Police arrested an 18-year-old and fined eight people after a vigil was held in Valley Gardens last night.
“her modest proposal that men should be subject to a 6pm curfew”…. Is the person for real.. Is she totally stupid or just play for laughs…
I’m not surprised she’s received complaints – they are well deserved.
She should step down from the HoL and seek professional help.
So Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb is calling for the first female commissioner of the met to be sacked. That’s an interesting way to campaign for women…..
Er, it’s a joke! And a Modest Proposal was the Jonathan Swift essay, suggesting the poor sell their babies as food for the rich! As the lady said, it was not an entirely serious suggestion.
Some things are not best said, even in jest. No excuse for hate mail but she is rightly criticised for a ridiculous statement.
Says a lot about the ‘quality’ (not) of people who are in the Lords. What an absolutely ridiculous thing to say, whether serious or not. May I suggest sanity/IQ tests for all peers if they are to continue sitting in the House, which would probably be the easiest way to trim or even abolish this bloated and useless institution.
Says a lot more about the Greens in general.
We suffer enough with the children in the council.
Seems they are the same amateurs in the HoL
A curfew for men? Seriously that’s how you think us women will feel safe? No, I’m sorry to tell but women are just as likely to attack other women as men are. N fact men have been the victims of violence from women, raped by women and it can happen at any time of the day! This is supposed to be an equal society. Your words just encourage negativity between sexes. Men aren’t all monsters.
Thank you Rachel, couldn’t have said it better myself!
“ No, I’m sorry to tell but women are just as likely to attack other women as men are.”
LOL, sure they are dear. That’s why women die at the hands of other women just as often as they do men.
Wait, no, that’s not correct. That’s complete garbage. As in, false.
Tto the less clever here in the comments, this person’s suggestion was made in order to highlight the hypocrisy of telling women to alter their behavior to avoid dangerous men, but never once suggesting to me that maybe men ought to alter their behavior— by not feeling entitled to assault and murder us. You all know it was said for this purpose, and you’re just being disingenuous or deliberately obtuse.
Next, you’ll be suggesting that rather than locking your doors people should just not steal from others, how niave can you be?
Oh of course women are all perfect aren’t they because if we take men out of the equation all abductions, rape cases, and murders will all disappear
Sure
“Not entirely serious”. What on earth does that mean? Are we to take anything the woman says seriously? It is appalling that this stupid woman is a peer. Not for the first timed has she made a fool of herself. If anyone should be asked to resign it is she. I feel sorry for all those poor residents of Moulscoomb to have to put up with having an idiot to represent thm. It is hardly surprising that she has received hate mail. She deserves it.
Er, seriously, Hove Guy! Her title includes Moulsecoomb, where she grew up, but as a member of the House of Lords, she doesn’t represent Moulsecoomb in Parliament. She represents the Green Party. Moulsecoomb is represented in the House of Commons by the MP for Brighton Kemptown.
It speaks badly of you that the best you can do is dismiss her as this stupid woman and as an idiot rather than address the substantive issue, violence against women. And I’m not belittling violence against men, although most (not all) of those who inflict violence (especially sexual violence) against women and men, statistically, are men.
And as for not being entirely serious, I think it’s a great shame if politicians can’t make a lightheared aside, even in a serious debate. It can be hard to not to cause offence at times, but we have become so much more easily offended, it seems to me. The left and right in politics seem equally keen to pounce on each other over this sort of thing, but we really should try to keep a sense of perspective.
I may disagree with Jenny Jones, and all manner of other politicians, but we should be free to debate all manner of subjects, ideally with more courtesy, consideration and tolerance than is commonplace in these febrile times and, yes, even with humour.
And here you all get to witness the usual strategy of a feminist idiot. Step 1: Say something moronic and get soundly criticized for it. Step 2: Claim that the criticism is “hate mail” and thereby attempt to position yourself as the victim.
This is the standard play book of feminists, leftists, and weak people everywhere.
And I wonder if she’ll extend the olive branch of forgiveness to the next high profile bloke who makes a “not entirely serious” joke? What’s the bet she doesn’t?