The Jack the Ripper museum in east London has been ridiculed for attempting to organise a counter-protest against a planned demonstration by the same activist group that last weekend targeted a breakfast cereal cafe.
The anarchist group Class War has called for protesters to shut down the privately run attraction on Sunday. Flyers circulating on Twitter accuse the museum of “the glorification of sexual violence”.
It has already been the scene of protests and was branded a “sick joke” by residents of Whitechapel when it opened. Its planning application had promised it would be “the only dedicated resource in the East End to women’s history”.
The owners of the museum issued their call for community action through a public relations firm, Joshua Walker PR. Describing Class War as an “extremist political group”, it said that on Saturday “thugs smashed the windows, frightened staff and customers and thrown [sic] paint outside the Cereal Killers cafe.”
After trying to mobilise supporters with the Twitter hashtag #PROTECTELONDON, the statement concludes: “It’s time for locals and local business to band together and show that we won’t accept it! Join the Jack the Ripper Museum and other local businesses and locals to counter-protest Class War.”
Next action 4 @Classwar2015 is opposing the vile Jack The Ripper Museum. Meet 2pm Sunday 4th October 12 Cable Street pic.twitter.com/suc84gBtFG
— Fuck Parade (@FuckParadeLDN) September 27, 2015
By Wednesday afternoon, the hashtag had largely been appropriated by Twitter users seeking to ridicule the attempt at a counter-protest. Meanwhile, local residents, many of whom were outraged when the museum opened in August, said they were cold on the idea.
#PROTECTELONDON could be a fun hashtag to ruin.
— Jack Sprat (@Jacqueimo) September 29, 2015
#PROTECTELONDON by promising women a museum celebrating their contribution to social change by promoting their slaughter yeah wtg dickheads
— ║█║▌║█║▌│║▌║▌█║ (@User_Unlisted) September 29, 2015
#ProtectELondon from gentrification by the violent forces of local councils, the broader state and disgusting property developers
— Jack Sprat (@Jacqueimo) September 29, 2015
Jemima Broadbridge, who lives nearby, said residents were still campaigning against the museum, which had “hoodwinked and misled” people when it applied for planning permission.
“The latest press release makes a craven attempt to invoke the sympathy of local people,” she said. “Also, to try to get the Cereal Killer people to come and defend a museum about a serial killer, which is the most weird twist, you can’t make it up.”
Broadbridge said she had misgivings about last Saturday’s Fuck Parade protest, which involved elements of Class War, but she backed the group’s aims. “They are making a serious point about what’s happening in the area, and the housing and the poor doors,” she said.
“They do take risks and they put their money where their mouth is, but I think it’s a bit unfortunate the target that they picked last weekend, because there are bigger fish to fry.”
Snuff Museum plays victim asks @CerealKillerUK 4 help. Close down #RipperMuseum Sun 4 Oct 2pm http://t.co/gtvQsAORHV pic.twitter.com/6nmeaJz8z0
— LWood (@greedisagreed) September 29, 2015
Jane Nicholl, of Class War, ridiculed the call for a counter-demonstration. “If that’s what they want it really is going to be class war,” she said. “It’s going to be posh businesspeople of the area up against working class warriors.”
Nicholl said she and several other activists had been invited to tour the museum, and all had been disgusted by what they saw. “We all left in absolute shock. It’s just so disturbing. I’m pretty tough, but I just couldn’t get the images out of my head. It’s just very unpleasant.
“The whole museum is like the workings of a sick mind,” she said. “If any women who had been sexually assaulted walked past that place and saw what was on offer … it’s just horrible.”
Other seasoned activists criticised the attempt to use a PR firm to mobilise the local community. Sarah Kwei, of Sisters Uncut, which campaigns against the closure of specialist domestic violence services for women, said the move was offensive.
“It’s pretty shocking that they have hired a PR company to try and protect their image and it’s a pretty typical response from a profit-making company who clearly don’t understand how these things work,” she said. “I doubt that whoever is running this are seasoned campaigners who are part of the community. It’s pretty offensive, to think that they can hire a PR company to get that job done for them.”
Kwei said she opposed the museum generally for glorifying violence against women as a means to make profits. But Joshua Walker, the Ripper museum’s spokesman, rejected the premise of such objections.
“Obviously the whole thing is that they keep going on about glorifying sexual violence. But was it sexual violence? No one really knows,” he said, adding that the jury was still out on that element of Jack the Ripper history.
“These protests, whether or not they claim they are, are violent protests,” Walker said. “It’s not terribly fair and I don’t believe that we are the right target.”
Walker said the museum had not misrepresented itself in its planning application, and the decision to focus on the history of Jack the Ripper had been a commercial decision that would help support further exhibitions on women in the East End in months to come.
“We have been open for less than two months, what we are offering at the moment is just a snapshot of what’s to come,” he said.
