THE HIGH COURT in Northern Ireland has rejected a legal challenge by a group against the cancellation of an event at community arts festival Féile an Phobail.

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

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”.

However, the court rejected the group’s application this morning.

In a 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.