I don’t think I can fully explain how people feel about the verdict that Reclaim These Streets (RTS) received on Friday. The Met’s decision to ban the vigil we had planned to mark the murder of Sarah Everard was found to be “flawed at every single step of the process”. It comes as no surprise to many attendees.
It’s been a year since the vigil for Sarah Everard. Since then we’ve had many empty promises from the Government on how they were going to tackle violence against women and girls. When people turned up to the vigil, some were angry that we had been told to stay indoors and not attend.
This was effectively a breach of human rights. It’s also part of a pattern: women are told to stay silent when we suffer; when we are cat-called we’re told to “get over it” or that it’s “just a joke”. When we are subjected to objectification, lewd comments or even assault we are told to report it, but whom do we report to when the police are the ones committing the crime? Police are so close to the justice system — they have been called a “boys’ club” for too long — that they have been able to abuse their powers without consequences.
If you search on the internet for “Met Police news”, all too often it is a story about an officer who has assaulted, raped or murdered a woman. The win for RTS was a small step for women’s rights, a message to the force saying that we will not be silent. There is more legal action to be taken and more stories to be shared about the vigil. I cried when I found out about the verdict because I know others can receive the justice they deserve.
We stood outside Charing Cross police station with Sisters Uncut last night as rape alarms were thrown on the ground. Through mists of green and purple smoke we looked into the air and remembered those who have been murdered at the hands of men — including police officers, who should never have been in the positions they held.
