The rugby team London Irish announced this week that Paddy Jackson will join their squad ahead of a return to the English premiership next season. Jackson, 27, who has previously played for Ulster and represented Ireland, was once famous solely for his talents as a fly-half on the pitch – but now is infamous for his role in a gruelling, much-publicised rape trial last year.
The 42-week trial in Belfast of Jackson and his three compadres was followed in acute detail. Evidence presented included the complainant’s bloody knickers, medical opinions on vaginal tears and WhatsApp exchanges between the defendants. Jackson was found not guilty of rape and not guilty of assault – his then teammate Stuart Olding was found not guilty of rape. Their friend, Blane McIlroy was found not guilty of exposure and another friend, Rory Harrison, was found not guilty of concealing evidence and attempting to pervert the course of justice.
When all four were acquitted of the charges, protests erupted in cities all over Ireland, with huge numbers gathering in solidarity with the complainant, and many, many more online proclaiming #IBelieveHer. This was a provocative challenge to the decision of the jury, or a simple act of solidarity with a young woman whose underwear and personal life had been gawked at by onlookers far and wide – depending on your viewpoint.
Jackson later had his contract terminated by Ulster and Ireland – as did Olding – who judged that conduct displayed in text messages exchanged by the pair, and revealed in the trial, fell below the standards expected. But this only happened after significant, sustained and noisy pressure from fans, and the subsequent impact on sponsors.
The full conversation of those WhatsApp texts couldn’t be retrieved by police, so we have only snippets:
– “What the f*** was going on. Last night was hilarious.”
– “Why are we such legends.”
– “There was a bit of spit roasting going on last night fellas.”
– “It was like a merry-go-round at a carnival.”
– “We are all top shaggers.”
– “Love Belfast sluts.”
I found the term “Belfast slut” particularly repellent as it betrays the lazy entitlement of a particular band of wealthier suburban visitors to my city – the type any Belfast girl knows when they start going to clubs and pubs. Like the trial itself, it felt very personal, and after the verdicts I helped to organise a crowdfunding effort to place an advert in the Belfast Telegraph calling for Jackson to be sacked by Ulster, because of the toxic masculinity displayed in the messages. We reached our target in under 36 hours: the advert was placed to much fanfare and the inevitable, but at times overwhelming, social media abuse that occurs when sluts like us venture an opinion.
Having ultimately been sacked by Ulster, Jackson secured a contract at a French rugby team – somewhat away from the attention of the Irish and British public and media. London Irish’s decision to hire the player a little more than a year later is not just another galling reminder of the priorities of many sporting organisations; it is also a nasty hint of the backlash that faces women who assert their rights or attempt to participate in public conversations.
As feminism and wider rights agendas gain greater traction, so too does resistance – and like most extremist groups these days, it socialises and recruits new members online. More and more ordinary men and boys, even some women, are being drawn into anti-feminist and anti-equality positions. These include the shaming of women who come forward to report sexual assault and the peddling of lies about the scale of malicious rape allegations. This is helped enormously by the wilful refusal of social media companies to ban those spreading anti-women hatred, or take a stand against misogyny online.
In the Jackson case, supposed “true fans” of rugby have mobilised online, originally campaigning for his reinstatement to the Ulster team, furiously writing their own petitions, crowdfunding their own adverts, issuing a mixture of death threats and general abuse at those of us who think his behaviour warranted his removal in the first place. London Irish coaches Declan Kidney and Les Kiss have now handed these trolls a victory, though some of their own fans are vowing to boycott the team.
But the question needs to be asked: if being part of a conversation that appears to describe a woman’s body as a merry-go-round doesn’t get you banned from professional sports, then what progress have we made? What have the feminists and those seeking equality gained to prompt such a vicious backlash? And if it’s just a backlash of toxic masculinity and misogyny in response to no measurable progress for women, then we are, in fact, going backwards.
• Lara Whyte is a reporter, producer and editor from Belfast