I was outside the Victorian Parliament covering the “Women Will Speak” rally, where women gathered to challenge the looming anti-vilification and so-called “social cohesion” laws. The crowd wasn’t massive – around 150 women – but the significance of the event couldn’t be missed.

Go Ad Free

The women I spoke with were deeply concerned about how these new laws could criminalise their voices. “Around the world when these laws come in, women are targeted when we offend men, particularly men who claim some kind of gender identity,” one event organiser explained.

The police presence was extraordinary, even for Melbourne. Riot police stood by with shields at the ready, but not because the women were expected to cause trouble. As one organiser told me: “They’re definitely not here for us.

They’re here for the people who seek to do us harm and who seek to silence women who have concerns about the loss of our sex-based human rights.”

Sure enough, a small but noisy mob of counter-protesters tried to disrupt the event. Ironically, they called their stunt “Don’t Let Fascists Speak.” One woman at the rally had the perfect response: “Fascists tend to want to silence other people… if they’re not happy for me to speak my mind then who is the real fascist?”

Despite the intimidation, the women were defiant.

Many attendees expressed frustration at being smeared as “far-right” by the media. One woman told me bluntly: “I’m a member of the ALP. I actually come from the far left… but I still know what a woman is.” Another added, “I’m a climate activist, I was marching against the Vietnam War when I was 19, but I still know what a woman is.”

By the end, it was clear: Antifa and their allies had failed. Women spoke. Their voices carried. And despite the media spin, the truth was undeniable – ordinary women are refusing to be silenced.