Normally I don't post things so close together but something came up and it just has to be put out there to let the world know. What am I rambling on about?
Well it seems the police and immigration officials in Scotland "swooped" in to raid 3 Lap Dancing Clubs. The raids took place on Friday 13th in the evening. The clubs Diamond Dolls, Baby Dolls and Club Earth are all owned by Stephen MacDonald. Officers were looking for victims of human trafficking, illegal workers and drugs so we can only imagine the overly aggressive handling of the situation but would be happy if anyone can provide more information on the raids.
So the raid in Glasgow resulted in 2 offences. First was a lady in possession of an offensive weapon, no idea what the weapon was but I would see it as protecting her personal safety however the police obviously need some results after all the money spent. Another Lady was found to be in possession of a small quantity of cannabis, one guesses by the description this amount would normally warrant a cannabis warning but not sure of Scottish law on this either. The fact it was just reported and not an arrest certain suggests no more than personal use.
So the estimate on the number of officers used is around 200 including a raid on Mr MacDonald's home. Now I can't be certain but I would guess if the police hit 3 or 4 night clubs in Glasgow they would have turned up more drugs, more weapons and more likely to have found staff working illegally. Because here is the real result from the raids... No illegal staff arrested and even more importantly NO VICTIM's of trafficking. We hear things around the web and fingers being pointed at clubs for trafficking etc and yet now after these raids, the whole thing turns out to be a myth.
So after that embarrassment for not only the police and immigration but also for any and all "feminist experts" who link clubs with trafficking they now have to rethink their understanding. If any "feminist experts" like Ms Bindel would like to comment I would love to see what they make of the issues raised by the failure of the raids.
TonyN(tonyprince@acdcfan.com)
I think the key phrase in any press article of this nature is 'linked to trafficking' - i.e. no actual EVIDENCE of trafficking exists in relation to the industry, but it makes dramatic copy to imply to report that some spurious link to trafficking has been made (by some individual or organisation with a vested interest in doing so, usually).
ReplyDeleteThose radfems who continue to peddle the 'sex trafficking' myth regarding legal, licenced striptease have about as much credibility as Somaly Mam.
ReplyDeleteBut they still have their spin doctors working like Kristof telling their stories until they are caught and then they pretend it was all a bit of a misunderstanding. When the ploice specifically make the claim about trafficking you wonder who is fueling this.
DeleteOne guy was supplied by an agency, another was a punter and nothing said about the third. So the club wasn't in trouble it seems. So one poor man went along for a night of beer and looking at women and instead he gets done by immigration. Definitely not his night.
ReplyDeleteWhy does all this police manpower directed towards finding trafficked women (who don't appear to exist after all) remind me a little of the US invasion of Afghanistan and the high-tech complex which the US military expected to find in what turned out to be empty caves at Tora Bora, or the weapons of mass destruction in Iraq which turned out to be nothing but a politicians' mirage...? ;-)
ReplyDeleteI have started following the Somaly parody account on twitter. The trafficking stories seem to be falling apart completely.
DeleteThis story in the Scottish paper The Herald may provide some meaningful wider context for the police raids:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/3000-women-sell-sex-in-thriving-off-street-prostitution-industry.25059026
You may also enjoy this parody piece from the Sexworker Open University, inspired by the above Herald article:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sexworkeropenuniversity.com/blog/press-release-groundbreaking-sex-worker-research-today-reveals-that-over-17000-police-officers-ply-their-trade-in-scotland