Hackney's Green Party has distanced itself from a protest where demonstrators repeatedly stabbed an effigy of incoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham with darts, after four of its councillors were reported to be in attendance. The party insists the councillors had already left the demonstration and did not witness the act.
Protest details and party response
The trans rights rally took place outside Hackney Town Hall on July 9. Activists were pictured thrusting darts into the eyes and face of a dummy depicting Burnham, who is set to become Labour Party leader and Prime Minister on July 20. The Times reported on July 13 that cabinet members Cllr Alastair Binnie-Lubbock, Cllr Florence Schechter, Cllr Laura-Louise Fairley and backbencher Cllr Jaz Crowe were present.
A Green Party spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “They were at the event to stand in solidarity with the trans community, something other political parties no longer seem willing or able to do. Greens reject attempts to segregate trans people from public life, and are proud to always stand with the trans community as they continue to be attacked by politicians and the media alike.” The party condemned the effigy stabbing as a “stunt” that councillors did not witness.
Context of the protest
The demonstration opposed the new Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) Code of Practice, published after the 2025 Supreme Court ruling that the legal definition of “woman” refers to biological sex. The EHRC guidance states that in single-sex or separate-sex services, “a trans man will be excluded from the men-only service because his sex is female, and a trans woman will be excluded from the women-only service because her sex is male.”
Hackney's Green Mayor, Zoë Garbett, has called on the government to reject the “cruel and unfeasible” guidance, which she says will “consolidate a system of public segregation” and put trans people at “real physical risk.” She noted that these concerns were raised by the government’s own equality impact assessment.
Political backlash
The effigy stabbing drew sharp criticism from Labour figures, including Tottenham MP and Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy. Cllr Anna Lynch, Deputy Leader of Hackney Labour Group, told the LDRS: “It is beyond horrifying that Green Party councillors are participating in demonstrations like this. Hackney residents deserve better than representatives who choose to stand alongside protests where violent performances targeting national politicians take place.” She added: “Hackney Labour recognises and defends the fundamental rights to freedom of speech and peaceful protest. But there is no place for demonstrations that glorify or simulate violence against elected representatives. Political disagreement must never cross the line into intimidation or incitement.”
Burnham's stance on trans rights
Andy Burnham has faced criticism over his positions on trans rights. Initially, he was critical of the EHRC’s interim guidance, saying it made the issue of single-sex spaces “more confusing in the real world.” He later clarified that he supported implementing the guidance “in the fairest and most compassionate way possible.”
Following the 2025 Supreme Court ruling, Hackney's Labour administration faced pressure to cancel plans for mixed-sex changing rooms in the revamp of King's Hall Leisure Centre. Cllr Carole Williams, then Cabinet Member for Equalities, said the council would consider “all potential implications” of the ruling while defending the trans community “against all forms of hate, discrimination and violence.” The Green Party commended that stance.
