Lerwick Up-Helly-A’ committee to discuss including women in festival

The Lerwick Up-Helly-A’ committee will ask its organisers their thoughts on including women in the festival.

That discussion is unlikely to happen in the next two weeks, despite comments made by protestor Peter Hamilton.

Mr Hamilton held a protest outside the Lerwick Town Hall on Tuesday morning, which should have been Up-Helly-A’ day, in which he called on the committee to allow women and girls to join the festival.

He said if they and the SIC do not enter talks about doing so, he will report the council to the Equalities and Human Rights Commission.

Committee secretary Robert Geddes, a future Lerwick jarl, said it was “totally unrealistic” for such a change to be made in the next fortnight.

He said the consultation “won’t be a quick process”.

“What I would expect in the first instance is that we raise the question with all the groups involved in organising the festival to get a feeling of where we are in respect to the women being included,” Mr Geddes said.

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