Women’s rights activists have spoken of their ‘utter disgust’ after police kicked them out of an International Women’s Day event – because their questions about female-only spaces caused ‘alarm and distress’ to attendees.
Campaigner Kellie-Jay Keen was ordered to leave the Albert Hall in Nottingham on Friday following reports members of the public were ‘upset’.
This is despite Ms Keen insisting all women she interviewed at the event, organised by the office of the Nottinghamshire police and crime commissioner, were asked permission to film – and that she was far from ‘threatening or offensive’.
Footage of the encounter showed two policemen approach Ms Keen and other members of the Let Women Speak (LWS) group.
Asking her to ‘leave the building immediately’, one officer says: ‘We’ve been made aware that you have been asking people questions that have caused them alarm and distress.’
Ms Keen interjected, asking the officer if he knew ‘what the questions are’.
She later said: ‘The questions are “do you offer single sex spaces”.
‘I just had polite conversations with women – they don’t like being asked whether or not they provide services just for women.’
The officer said the LWS members had been asked to leave the public event on the grounds of trespass.
Ms Keen told the Daily Mail: ‘I am utterly disgusted, but not surprised, that Notts police are more invested in shutting women up than protecting us.
‘Last year we organised a Let Women Speak event and had notified police who were uncooperative. They allowed trans activists to surround and attack us, us being women who wish to protect women only spaces.
‘We attended a PCC international women’s day event and asked women employed in the women’s sector whether they uphold the law on single sex spaces.
‘Those questions were characterised as upsetting and we were ejected. It’s so preposterous that it sounds like a monty python sketch, but that’s the state of the women’s sector. Overpaid women who fail to protect women in the most basic way.’
Ms Keen added she believed the decision to ask members of LWS to leave was unlawful as the event was organised by the council and police – as opposed to the private sector.
She said stall-holders being asked questions were there to engage with the public.
An advert online for the event invites groups to book stalls, stating: ‘Get ready for an inspiring day on 6th March 2026! We’re celebrating the spirit of women with an exciting event please book your organisations (sic) stall for a place within the main arena.’
The event was organised in conjunction with Nottingham Women’s Centre (NWC).
In one clip, Ms Keen could be seen interviewing the NWC CEO, Louisa Matthews.
Ms Keen asked a few questions about what Nottingham Women’s Centre does for the community and about their ‘most popular service’.
She then queried: ‘With regards to the Supreme Court… how are you going to manage continuing when it’s likely you’re unlawful in including men in your space.’
Ms Matthews said she would ‘take legal advice’ and ‘follow the law’ whilst ‘remaining inclusive’.
She later said, ‘we’ve always been a trans-inclusive space so there’s been no change in policy’ – after being probed on why the group had ‘stopped providing women-only space’ despite still ‘calling it a women-only space’.
Clips of the encounters were uploaded online – and have since been viewed tens of thousands of times.
Actor and comedian John Cleese responded: ‘Watching the police in England behaving like this caused considerable harm and distress.
‘Should I call the police?’
