Legal Action - Result! I'm delighted..

I'm delighted with the outcome of my legal action against the Craft Potter's Association and University of the Arts London. You can read the background to the case here.

I'm hugely grateful to Levin's who represented me and they provide the following statement on my behalf:

Statement from Levin's

"We are delighted to confirm that our client Claudia Clare has reached a settlement of her employment tribunal case against the Craft Potters Association (‘CPA’) and University of the Arts London (‘UAL’). Claudia is a gender critical radical feminist and a ceramic artist. She was scheduled to give a talk about her work with the charity women@thewell at the Ceramic Art London show in April 2022. The talk was cancelled supposedly due to concerns that it would be disrupted by trans rights activists.

We were particularly concerned that Claudia had been poorly treated by the association which was supposed to defend her interests and a university that has a statutory duty to protect free speech. Both the CPA and UAL have apologised to Claudia and have agreed to pay £10,000 to women@thewell and a contribution towards her legal costs. We hope that this outcome will encourage other institutions to respect gender critical beliefs and to strike the right balance between the free speech rights of speakers and protestors. We are proud to have represented Claudia in this claim and we wish her all the best in her future endeavours."

Ends.

Telegraph Report

You can read the Telegraph article in full here  - I've posted it in screen shots on my Instagram account - or here if you subscribe.

Why I took the case: some context

I wanted three things from this case: an apology, a payment to the charity I was working with, and to know exactly what went on with No Gagging Order.

I got all three and also a substantial contribution to my costs which I neither asked for nor expected. The payment to women@thewell was more than 3x what I dared hope for but, even so, I would have let go of all of it just to get the full information and be free to talk about it.

A great many women are being affected by censorious and anti-feminist forces in the arts and, as an industry, we need to be able to talk about it and challenge it without being instantly hounded, ostracised and deprived of our livelihoods by having all our work engagements cancelled. There is another article by Jo Bartosch here outlining the impacts on other feminist artists.

Why and How was the lecture cancelled?

I now know exactly what happened, chapter and verse. The first thing I can say is: forget the students. They really weren't involved. It was all the work of the UAL organiser with the (now ex,) head of school, Prof Jeremy Till, and at least 7 support staff. While the CPA must also accept a share of the blame I doubt they would have banned me from the event without intolerable pressure and some truly unedifying plotting, by those concerned at UAL.

I will write in more detail about the process at later date. The 'plotting' is good material for my 'Revenge Jugs,' an ongoing satire on the arts and the increasingly censorious attitudes in institutions and small organisations.

Some More Background

Blogger and potter, Marshall Colman covered the event with laudable brevity and accuracy in his blog here.

There is more background to original cancellation in Unherd, article by Julie Bindel, in the Daily Mail, in the Telegraph, article by Ewan Somerville, and in Spiked by Josephine Bartosch.

Headlines Telegraph Report Legal-win Artist-in-studio
feminist satire ceramic sex gender pride
Decorated Vase Girl Woman women@thewell
Telegraph Article Report Legal-win Artist-in-studio
feminist satire ceramics sex gender diversity pride
Decorated Vase Girl Woman