Tag Archives: The Light

“The Light”: sending women back to the Dark Ages

The Light appears to have the same attitude to women as reactionaries always have done. That is to say, women are most valued when they are barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen. Despite The Light’s supposed focus on bodily autonomy in relation to vaccines, it presents all the other things that give women autonomy and choices over their bodies and lives as overwhelmingly negative – be that access to contraception, abortion and education; the right to choose a different sexuality; the right to choose different partners; the existence of strong female role models in the media; a welfare state that supports women by taking on some of the caring responsibilities; even the existence of convenience food. This is also why you basically never hear The Light advocating for better childcare provision, anti-poverty measures, protection from discrimination (unless it’s to do with vaccines), or other key feminist demands.

Challenging denial, disinformation and stigma on World AIDS day

Today, December 1st, is World AIDS Day – held annually since 1988. This year, we want to draw attention to and express our solidarity with those who took part in a die-in protest held by ACT UP London today, echoing a protest conducted in 1989. Stav Bee, ACT UP activist, is quoted by ACT UPContinue reading “Challenging denial, disinformation and stigma on World AIDS day”

Our approach

We have been informed that a prominent member of the “Stroud Freedom Group” and “Info Hub” has received personal threats. We have not seen these threats so we can’t comment on the content. We are aware that The Light “newspaper” contains a great deal of material that many people find offensive, including a defence ofContinue reading “Our approach”

Letters to the Stroud News and Journal, 12/10/22

The Stroud News and Journal has published two letters regarding The Light this week. Sadly, they haven’t published the reply our member Jeremy Green wrote in response to Richard House’s letter the previous week, but we have included it first on this page. Richard House’s letter to the SNJ says “If Mr Green would likeContinue reading “Letters to the Stroud News and Journal, 12/10/22”

Protest against ‘The Light’ paper as its editor speaks in Stroud

On Thursday 29th September, we hung a banner from the Merrywalks bridge , reading “No to “The Light” paper – lies, hatred and climate change denial”. We have previously protested against vile antisemitism and Holocaust denial being defended by the paper, as well as highlighting the “promotion of homophobia and transphobia”, and consistent climate denialContinue reading “Protest against ‘The Light’ paper as its editor speaks in Stroud”

Consistent denial of climate change in The Light

Climate change denial has featured in almost every single issue of The Light. Other than the pandemic, it is probably the most common theme. The Light does not discuss the existing harms of extreme temperatures, droughts, floods, or sea-level rise. Instead, it repeatedly asserts that climate change is a “hoax”, a “con”, a “scam”. We think this is important. Action is urgently needed – causing delay by spreading misinformation or undermining interest in developing solutions is harmful, indeed – arguably – complicity in genocide. This is an issue of justice as well as an environmental issue. The communities on the frontline of fighting climate change are often the same who have resisted centuries of colonialism, chattel enslavement and white supremacy, and who continue to fight against the ecocide of fossil fuel companies.