When the Law Sides With You But the Institutions Stay Silent

By Farah Benis for Centre for the Prevention of Violence Against Women and Girls (CPVAWG)

Published: 21 August 2025

In March 2023, Eva Echo and Saba Ali were invited to speak at a Trans Day of Visibility (TDOV) event hosted by the Metropolitan Police. The invitation was positioned as a step toward inclusion - a gesture towards recognising trans experience within an institution with a long and documented history of harm.

They accepted. They spoke. And later, they were taken to tribunal.

A Met officer who voluntarily attended the event claimed that hearing about trans inclusion caused her “distress,” and filed a legal complaint alleging harassment and discrimination based on her gender-critical beliefs.

The tribunal found in favour of Echo and Ali. It was a straightforward legal victory. Attending an inclusion event is not grounds for a harassment claim. Inclusion is not abuse. Visibility is not violence.

And yet, despite this legal clarity, no public defence was issued by the very institution that invited them. No trauma support was offered. There was no statement recognising their contribution or condemning the coordinated harassment they faced.

“There were nights I didn’t think I’d survive.”

– Saba Ali

“We were told to speak up. So we did. Then we were left alone to deal with the consequences.”

– Eva Echo

Both women were subject to a coordinated campaign of hate, abuse, and disinformation - the kind of backlash that is both predictable and preventable. Instead of institutional solidarity, they were met with silence.

This silence is not neutral.

It sends a signal -  to the public, to perpetrators, and to everyone watching - about what and who will be protected when things get difficult.

At CPVAWG, we are not neutral.

Saba Ali sits on our Advisory Board. Her influence shapes the way we address safety, rights, and resistance in the face of targeted hostility. What she and Eva endured should never have happened. And their legal vindication should have been met with sector-wide amplification and support.

“The tribunal didn’t just vindicate us. It exposed how quickly institutions will abandon the very people they invite in the name of ‘progress.’”

– Saba Ali

This case mattered. It set a legal precedent. But more than that, it revealed how superficial the rhetoric of inclusion still is -  and how disposable those doing the real work continue to be.

You cannot claim to stand for safety while abandoning those targeted for speaking.

You cannot invite marginalised voices and then stay silent when they are attacked.

You cannot build trust through fear.

We stand with Eva.

We stand with Saba.

And we will continue to speak when others stay silent.

—

Media contact

pr@cpvawg.org