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The left and women's rights: leading RMT member accused

Women's Fightback | 15.10.2013 12:00 | Gender | Workers' Movements | London

RMT leader Steve Hedley has been accused of domestic violence, and documented as making deeply misogynistic comments towards a young women. This case is just as serious as the SWP/Martin Smiths sexual assault cases.

On International Women’s Day (8 March) 2013, Steve Hedley, Assistant General Secretary of the RMT trade union, was accused of physical, verbal and emotional abuse in a public statement by his former partner, then RMT activist Caroline Leneghan. Caroline says that in 2012 he carried out a severe physical assault on her. You can read her initial statement and see pictures of her injuries here (content warning).

About two months previously Caroline had made formal complaints to the police and the RMT. The union carried out an investigation and, by the end of March, decided to take no further action against Hedley. So why are many on the left still complaining about what happened? This note attempts to explain. It also looks at the role of the Socialist Party, which Hedley was a member of until he resigned shortly after Caroline published her initial statement.

We believe this case should be treated as seriously as the SWP’s “Comrade Delta”/Martin Smith affair.

For the full briefing see the link to the Women's Fightback blog.

Women's Fightback
- e-mail: women@workersliberty.org
- Homepage: http://womensfightback.wordpress.com/2013/10/13/hedley/

Comments

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Trial by gossip

15.10.2013 23:35

I have no love of the SWP, of Trots in general, or of Martin Smith in particular, but the outcome of the Comrade Delta affair was a shit-load of anti-leftist propaganda for the Daily Mail and Daily Telegraph etc, and ZERO proven charges against Martin Smith. No matter how badly you think the SWP might or might not have handled it, until a legal case was a/ brought and b/ PROVEN, it's all gossip

Likewise a very similar allegation was used to smear the Occupy LSX camp, but the guy in question WAS charged and WAS found INNOCENT, but huge damage was done to the protest movement by the right-wing media nonetheless

Justine

Moderators!!!!!!

15.10.2013 23:38

"The newswire is... not a notice-board for political parties or any other hierarchically structured organizations"

The hierarchically structured organizations in this case being people "@workersliberty.org" and their beef with the Socialist Party

A1