A LEGAL CHALLENGE by a group against the cancellation of an event at the Belfast community arts festival Féile an Phobail has ended.

Womens Rights Network Northern Ireland brought the challenge after the festival pulled an event scheduled to take place in the city on Tuesday of next week.

However, the group today withdrew the legal proceedings after what it called “an agreement with Féile an Phobail”.

The festival programme said the event would explore “women’s rights, law and legislative clarity”, including “sex-based rights, single-sex spaces and fairness in women’s sport”.

It did not list any speakers, but a poster for the event featured the logos of anti-trans groups The Countess and Sex Matters, a European think-tank around “sex-based rights” called Athena Forum, and Gaels for Fair Play, a group which campaigns against the inclusion of trans women in ladies’ football and camogie.

In a statement last week, the festival said it “was unaware from the initial submission that this event would promote campaigns against rights for the transgender community”.

Womens Rights Network Northern Ireland subsequently announced it was taking legal action against the festival and has rejected claims that it is “transphobic”.

It had sought an injunction in the High Court to prevent the festival’s organisers from “revoking, frustrating or denying the plaintiff access to the premises to hold the panel discussion”.

The group said in a statement this afternoon that the event would now go ahead at “alternative venue”.

In its own statement, Féile an Phobail welcomed the court’s decision and said it was a vindication of their decision to “stand up for those who are marginalised”.

“Féile’s decision to withdraw this event from our programme stands,” the statement added.

Correction: The original version of this piece stated that the High Court had rejected the group’s legal challenge, but has since been updated.