There are few things more insidious than the systemized retribution against survivors of sexual harassment who speak the truth of their experiences. When several women came forward to detail the serial abuse perpetrated by a British musician, he drew upon his financial resources to hit them with a defamation suit in the U.K. courts, a tactic clearly less about responding to the allegations than forcing the women to drain their less formidable bank accounts to pay the necessary legal costs as the case made its way through the grinding system.

The women, and their allies, have engaged in fundraising efforts in an attempt to defray the considerable expenses they have incurred, and continue to incur. The latest firecracker they’ve tossed out is a potent, powerful song that is part statement of defiance and part rallying cry. Performed by a crew of dedicated supporters going by the name Solidarity Not Silence, “This Is Sisterhood” is direct, fiery, and catchy as can be. It was written by one of the defendants, Nadia Javed, guitarist and vocalist with the Tuts.

These are Javed’s words:

First of all I just want to say how nervous and excited I am about dropping this song. I remember wanting to write something that explained our story and the wider issue. I prayed before I went to bed asking God to help me. The next morning I woke up, grabbed my guitar and it literally wrote itself within minutes. The song found me. Ren added a middle eight spoken word, we got all our mates down to the studio and BANG we recorded it back in Nov 2019. We then had to hold off releasing it due to Covid and bad mental health. But it feels right to launch it now.

I wrote this song with the aim to explain our story. To explain why we’re being sued, why we won’t back down and why speaking our truth, supporting other women and staying true to our feminism has landed us in this lengthy and expensive legal battle. We have been fighting this case now for 4 and a half years. We are drained and our mental health has been impacted. But as we edge towards our court hearing (date yet to be set) it leaves us questioning a few things. At the core of this issue lies the issue that WE ARE NOT PROTECTED BY THE LAW. THE LAW KEEPS FAILING US. Whether you’ve been in an abusive relationship, in an industry that doesn’t protect you or just walking through a park – women are not safe! If we’re not protected then what choice do we have other than to use our voices and platforms? But then you’re at risk of being sued (like we are). If we can’t use our voices and platforms to speak up, then what do we have left? On top of that we’ve been unable to get legal aid. People power and solidarity is all we have. So it is so important that we stick together in SOLIDARITY and continue to believe survivors and fight for change.

This song isn’t only to raise funds and awareness for our legal case and survivors but also for the wider issue. It’s for anyone who wasn’t believed, for anyone who spoke up and got shut down, for the fuckery caused by the CPS, for that person who is too scared to speak up, for that person who has to live with the haunting trauma and so much more. We hope that this song is somewhere you can feel safe, believed and feel less alone. I truly hope this song reaches you and the people who need to hear it and helps them as much as it’s helped me/us. Please share it, download it – because you just don’t know who needs to hear it.

Thank you so so much for all your support.

May justice prevail.

Love from

Nadia

To aid their effort, contribute directly to their fundraiser, buy some merchandise, or just help spread the word.