Sisters Uncut

Sisters Uncut
Name	Sisters Uncut
Formation	2010s
Type	Direct action activist group
Headquarters	London
Region served	United Kingdom
Methods	Protest, civil disobedience, squatting, occupations, media campaigns

Sisters Uncut is a UK-based feminist direct action collective formed in the 2010s that campaigns against cuts to domestic violence services and for survivors' rights. The group is known for high-profile occupations, creative protests, and intersectional alliances with racial justice, immigrant rights, and LGBTQ+ movements. Sisters Uncut foregrounds working-class, Black, migrant, disabled, and trans survivors in its actions and links local campaigns to national debates over funding for domestic violence refuges and sexual violence support.

History

Sisters Uncut emerged in the aftermath of austerity measures associated with the 2010 United Kingdom general election, the Cameron ministry, and the implementation of spending reviews that affected local authority budgets. Founding actions occurred in London and rapidly connected with activists involved in Occupy London, UK Uncut, and anti-cuts movements such as protests against the Public Accounts Committee scrutiny of spending. Early occupations targeted councils in boroughs like Hackney, Islington, and Southwark, building networks with groups active around the 2011 England riots aftermath, the Women's Aid Federation of England, and survivors linked to services funded by the Home Office. The collective expanded through regional chapters tied to struggles in cities including Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Brighton and Hove, Bristol, and Newcastle upon Tyne, often coordinating with organisations such as the Refuge (charity), Rape Crisis England & Wales, and migrant advocacy groups like Freedom from Torture.

Campaigns and Direct Actions

Sisters Uncut has staged occupations of town halls, actions at ministerial offices such as the Ministry of Justice and the Home Office, and interventions at cultural institutions including the Tate Modern and Royal Opera House to draw attention to funding cuts. They have targeted policing practices by protesting at Scotland Yard, challenging policies linked to the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 debates, and campaigning around local commissioning with pressure on councils like Camden Council and Tower Hamlets London Borough Council. The collective has aligned with migrant-rights actions against the Hostile Environment policy and carried out solidarity protests with unions such as Unite the Union and National Union of Students-affiliated campaigns. Tactics include civil disobedience at events like Parliament Square demonstrations, flash occupations of service centres, coordinated international solidarity actions with groups in cities like Paris, Berlin, and Madrid, and creative interventions during public inquiries and hearings.

Organisation and Structure

Sisters Uncut functions as a non-hierarchical, autonomous network of local collectives and affinity groups using consensus decision-making and facilitation practices shaped by movements including Direct Action Network (UK), London Recruits-era organisational lessons, and contemporary feminist collectives such as LGBT+ activism groups. Local groups organise actions, training, and survivor-support referrals while coordinating nationally through open assemblies and digital platforms. Alliances have been formed with legal aid networks like Law Centres Network and advocacy organisations including Equality and Human Rights Commission-related campaigns. Membership includes activists with prior involvement in campaigns around Grenfell Tower fire, Windrush scandal advocacy, and anti-racist campaigns inspired by movements such as Black Lives Matter in the UK.

Ideology and Actions

The collective draws on intersectional feminism informed by scholars and movements connected to figures and organisations like bell hooks, Judith Butler, Kimberlé Crenshaw, and campaigns around sexual violence shaped by groups such as Me Too. Sisters Uncut emphasises anti-austerity politics, anti-racism, migrant solidarity, disability justice, and trans liberation in its policy demands, linking local service closures to national frameworks including welfare reforms following the Welfare Reform Act 2012 debates. Actions foreground the experiences of survivors in relation to policing, housing, immigration detention centres such as Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre, and criminal-justice processes like Crown Court and magistrates' court practices. The group also engages in mutual aid projects and public education through workshops referencing legislative contexts including the Care Act 2014 and campaigning during debates on the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme.

Public Reception and Criticism

Public reactions have ranged from support by charities such as Women’s Aid and endorsements from some trade unions to criticism from local councils, police forces including Metropolitan Police Service, and commentators in outlets like The Daily Telegraph and The Guardian. Media coverage has highlighted dramatic occupations and direct actions, prompting political responses from MPs across parties including interventions by figures associated with the Labour Party (UK), Conservative Party (UK), and Liberal Democrats (UK). Critics have accused the group of alienating mainstream service providers or disrupting legal processes, while supporters argue that their tactics shifted public debate and media attention toward funding cuts affecting survivors.

Legal and Political Impact

Sisters Uncut’s actions have prompted local councils to revisit commissioning decisions in boroughs like Lewisham, Hackney, and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, and have been referenced in consultations on statutory guidance for domestic abuse services. Legal challenges and arrests at demonstrations have involved interactions with the Crown Prosecution Service and provided case material for human rights advocates drawing on jurisprudence from the European Convention on Human Rights and domestic litigation. The campaign has influenced discourse during parliamentary scrutiny of legislation including the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 and has been cited in debates on funding allocations by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and in inquiries involving the Public Accounts Committee.

Category:Feminist organisations in the United Kingdom Category:Direct action