Police probe radical feminist Linda Bellos over alleged threat to ‘thump’ trans women
Labour activist Linda Bellos has been interviewed under caution by police as part of a hate crime investigation – after she allegedly threatened to “thump” transgender women at a radical feminist campaign event.
Linda Bellos is the former leader of Lambeth Borough Council and a radical feminist activist who has vocally opposed reforms within the Labour Party to treat transgender women as women.
She was reported to police over an incident on November 8 at a ‘We Need To Talk About The GRA’ [Gender Recognition Act] event in York.
Bellos allegedly said at the event: “Having born two children I think I’m physiologically, and in many other senses, a female and a woman.
“But I play football and I box, and if any one of those bastards comes near me I will take off my glasses and thump them… I am quite prepared to threaten violence because it seems to me politically what they are seeking to do is piss on women.”
The comments were streamed live online by radical feminist campaigner ‘Dr Radfem,’ real name Venice Allan, and ignited anger from transgender activists who accused Bellos of threatening violence.
Bellos was interviewed under caution by police last month, after a report was made in connection with the incident.
A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police confirmed to PinkNews: “A 67-year-old woman was interviewed under caution on April 21 in relation to a hate crime. The investigation is ongoing.”
In a public statement on Facebook, Bellos wrote: “What I found out during the course of the interview was that my brief contribution to the discussion was being broadcast on the Internet when I thought that my words were simply being recorded.
“The police implied that my statement implied or stated I would strike back if attacked are being interpreted as capable of being for a threat to Trans women, that is people who hitherto had been defined as men.
“I did say that I would fight back, as I had had to do when I was a small child in London in the 1950’s and 60’s when racists attacked my brother and me.”
Bellos alleged that she was unaware the event was being broadcast, saying: “If I was briefed about who else was speaking or that the meeting was being live streamed I did not register these facts.
“I make this latter point because the Police in interviewing me advised that I may have caused alarm to those not in the room who might [have] interpreted my words as a threat to them, or perhaps as an incitement to harm Trans women.
“What seems to be forgotten is that physiologically trans women have grown up as to be boys and men, with both male strength and sense of entitlement.
“I can defend myself if attacked and thankfully have not needed to do so for many decades, but it is important to my independence and autonomy that I feel free to be in any space and situation to express my views. That is what I believed our ‘freedom of expression’ refers to.”
She continued to criticise the police over their actions.
Bellos added: “My time and money are being spent on defending false claims against me and to taking not only my time but that of the police.
“It would appear, that men who now call themselves women are entitled to threaten and dominate feminists such as myself and if we speak out of step with their utterances we are ‘transphobes.’
“Does the right to designate others to apply only to Trans women? Can I call them racists for treating me ‘less favourably’ than they treat white feminists? If so, I assure you my complaint would be under civil, not criminal law and I cannot believe that the use of resources in interviewing me under caution is a proportionate use of public resources.
“But who am I to consider myself equal to young white men who think they are female?
“I have yet to hear whether the police intend to take further action against me and they are/were alarmed that I had an epileptic episode that caused the interview to be curtailed, still I await further police action with interest.”
Bellos was recently among campaigners granted a meeting with Labour’s shadow equalities minister Dawn Butler to address concerns about the party’s pro-transgender stance.
The activist previously claimed that the government’s proposed reforms to the Gender Recognition Act would “make women’s spaces vulnerable to Trans with beards and balls.”
