Britain’s equalities watchdog has been forced to abandon its headquarters after transgender activist group Bash Back attacked the building, vandalised it and issued guides instructing members to arm themselves and carry out repeated illegal assaults against organisations it considers “transphobic” — with the watchdog’s chairwoman warning MPs that staff safety has become a serious and ongoing concern.
Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson, chairwoman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, told the women and equalities select committee on Tuesday that the EHRC had been forced to relocate away from its Vauxhall offices following the attack, which involved activists spray-painting the building and smashing windows. Videos of the incident circulated widely on social media at the time. Dr Stephenson confirmed the same group had previously vandalised a women’s conference and the office of Health Secretary Wes Streeting.
“I hope that where we are now we are in a safe position, but it is something that I’m very conscious of, particularly in terms of the safety of the staff,” she told the committee.
The threat has escalated significantly. Just days ago, Bash Back — which describes itself as a “nonviolent direct action group” despite a documented record of criminal damage — released a guide instructing members to establish “independent local cells,” identify targets and “ensure your target can be hit repeatedly until they desist” from activities the group considers transphobic. The guide instructs activists to arm themselves and carry out sustained illegal campaigns against MPs, organisations and gender-critical groups.
Following last year’s attack on the EHRC offices, Bash Back told gay news outlet Pink News the assault was “just the beginning,” adding: “We can only secure our freedoms through constant resistance. We will not stop until we are free.”
The attacks on the EHRC have intensified since the landmark Supreme Court ruling clarifying that the words “woman” and “sex” in the Equality Act 2010 refer to biological sex — a decision the watchdog was instrumental in pursuing. Gender-critical MP Rosie Duffield, who resigned from Labour in 2024, questioned Dr Stephenson about whether EHRC staff felt safe in the current climate.
Dr Stephenson was measured but clear in her assessment of a debate that has turned toxic. “It has been unpleasant for trans people. It has also been very unpleasant for very many numbers of women who were trying to argue what the Supreme Court has now said is the law,” she said. She attributed much of the hostility to the suppression of legitimate debate over many years. “One of the reasons why discussion has become so unpleasant in this area is because for such a long time, that dialogue was prevented from happening.”
