“This HAS to end” — interview with Girls Against Gig Groping
Heather McAleavy talks to Girls Against Gig Groping, a campaign set up to raise awareness and hopefully prevent such matters.
If you ask your gig-going female friends about their experiences with sexual assault whilst at a gig, festival or even on a night out, I bet the majority will have a story or two. After their own shocking ordeal, Girls Against Gig Groping are standing up for our right not to be grabbed and harassed when men see fit.
In October 2015, frontman of indie quartet Peace, Harry Koisser took to Twitter following reports of a female fan being sexually assaulted at their gig in Glasgow. Disgusted at what had unknowingly occurred right under his nose, he shared her story, stating “If this happens at a Peace show tell me or security asap. If you think this is ok then please I beg you do not come”.
This fan was Hannah Camilleri, who is now one of the five founding members of Girls Against, a campaign which aims to prevent and raise awareness about such matters.
In an interview with the BBC in November 2015, Camilleri described how when she was at the barrier of The Arches (a 2,000-capacity venue) her skirt began to ride up. Before she knew it, a man stood behind her was disgustingly groping her and even attempting to put his hand down her tights. When she tried to defend herself, he used his weight to trap the then-17-year-old helplessly against the barrier. “Every time I tried to brush his hands away he just forced me into a situation where I couldn’t move.” She admitted. Hannah bravely spoke out to a friend who was also seeing Peace a few days later to warn her, to which she screenshotted the message and shared on Twitter for the band to see.
Too many statistics and sickening cases confirm that sexual assault is not as uncommon at live events as we like to think. According to RAINN (Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network), 90% of sexual assault/rape victims are women. The Guardian disclosed that from 2014 to 2016, eight accounts of sexual assault were reported at Reading & Leeds Festival, whose attendees are largely made up of teens celebrating the end of their GCSEs. Other cases include a girl aged just 15 claiming she was raped at Bestival in The Isle of Wight in 2011 right next to the main stage with thousands of people close by. Crimes of this nature escalated so much at Bråvalla (Sweden’s largest music festival) last year that the appalled organisers have chosen to cancel it for the foreseeable future. It was reported that at least four cases of rape and 23 cases of sexual assault occurred. Owner of the festival Folkert Koopmans said “It stopped being about music and became almost completely about crime and violence”.
Swedish women haven’t just sat back though. To help continue the celebration of Sweden’s thriving music scene in a safe environment, a crowdfunding campaign raised the equivalent of £47,000 to support a new festival called Statement that forbids cis men, allowing only women, trans and non-binary people admission, and will take place this August. This has obviously hit a nerve with men (who are probably members of the laughable Not All Men movement) who claim this is unfair. Meanwhile, women have hit back noting how unfair it is that we are all seen as walking targets when we’re just trying to have a bop to Björk.
Although Camilleri was understandably uncomfortable reporting what she’d just been through at the time, she’s now contributing to create a network that helps others in her position and guide them to find the right support. With friends Anna Cowan, Bea Bennister, Anni Cameron and Ava Cadenhead, Girls Against took to social media to spread the word, also interviewing bands on the subject and posting them on their website.
Since Peace spoke out about Hannah’s ordeal, other victims came forward on social media too, sparking a massive talking point about the taboo of what really goes on in the crowd. Within just a couple of months, artists as big as Johnny Marr, The 1975 and Slaves were recognising their work, with Dream Wife and The Magic Gang even having them to volunteer on their tours. “We felt so honoured that people took us seriously and truly believed in the things we did”, the girls say.
“We felt so honoured that people took us seriously and truly believed in the things we did”.
Now the campaign has grown, with representatives from all around the country, Girls Against actually work alongside bands, venues and events to help tackle the problem from their side. The representatives cooperate with their local venues distributing posters and leaflets on what to do if you’re ever put in the situation. Representative Ellen commented “We’re working on a security document that we hope we can get out to security companies and events organisers to clue them up on what to do when sexual assault happens at their place. We want people have a safe place to go”.
The members take quite a direct approach with victims as they are often contacted via email and on social media seeking advice. “We offer them as much support as we can but as we aren’t professionally trained, we then give them charities that can offer the support they need” Ellen says. “But if you’re a witness, it’s so important to report it to someone in authority!” The Office for National Statistic’s 2017 study on sexual offences in England and Wales found that 83% of victims did not report it to the police. So if you do see it happening, don’t just expect them to be able to handle it themselves, because chances are they will stay silent.
Of course, the industry being what it is, they’ve had to deal with people not exactly embracing their cause. “We do get the odd comment or tweet about us being an all-female group but we’re not. We actively encourage men and everyone to educate themselves about sexual assault”.
They’ve also been recently involved with some controversy, as they have terminated their collaboration with Truck Festival after the Oxfordshire-based event added Moose Blood to their weekend line-up. Moose Blood are one of the many bands who have been accused of sexual harassing fans, with one allegation leading to drummer Glen Harvey being kicked out of the band. The more recent issue regarding vocalist Eddy Brewerton distributing nude photos stolen off a girl’s phone is currently being dealt with.
Girls Against issued a statement saying “We feel it would be potentially compromising for our values as a campaign to have our name associated with a festival that has Moose Blood on the bill. Girls Against might not be directly associated with the festival, but we would still love to provide them with our safety ideas and have extended an offer to do so. We really hope we can continue to make Truck and all other festivals a safe environment”.
Despite misogyny still being a huge issue women in the music industry still face every day — as both fans and musicians — change is happening slowly, but surely. Festival line-ups and behind-the-scenes roles such as lighting engineers and roadies may still be drastically male-dominated, but more and more women are starting to take an interest in fighting their way up the ladder. From Code Orange getting nominated for a Grammy for ‘Best Metal Performance’ to regional events companies like Zena in Manchester showcasing the rising female talent, women aren’t taking the backseat anymore.
Girls Against implore more people to get involved with their work, stating “We want people to put up our posters and send out leaflets at music venues (with the venues’ permission, of course), as well as write for our blog and newsletter. We take all types of submissions including art and would love people to get involved anyway they want to”.
If you’d like to contribute to their cause or are a victim looking for support, don’t hesitate to get in touch with them at girlsagainstgiggroping@gmail.com.
Words by Heather McAleavy of www.altrecordreviews.tumblr.com
