Hundreds march through London to call for end of male violence against women
The march comes one year after Sarah Everard was killed by a serving police officer
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Hundreds of people marched through London on Saturday in a call to end male violence against women and girls.
Chanters walked from Charing Cross police station to Scotland Yard to highlight the harming of women by police.
Those marching on Saturday were supporters of the Million Women Rise collective, an organisation led by “black women for all women”.
Supporters carried signs that read: “Women’s rights are human rights”, “Girls just wanna have equal rights” and “The future is female”.
Many wore red, which they said symbolised the blood of women who have died at the hands of men.
The marchers demanded a clear dialogue from police on tackling the issues.
They pointed to the rape and murder of Sarah Everard by a Metropolitan Police officer and the sharing of photographs of two murdered sisters, Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry, as evidence of why action is needed.
Marketing executive Everard was abducted, raped and killed by serving Metropolitan Police officer, Wayne Couzens on 3 March last year.
Couzens was given a whole life sentence in September last year.
In December, two Metropolitan Police officers were sentenced to two years and nine months in prison for sharing photos of murdered sisters, Smallman and Henry, who were found stabbed to death in June 2020.
The Old Bailey in London heard that Deniz Jaffer, 47, and Jamie Lewis, 33 took photos of the scene, including some of the bodies, and shared them in two WhatsApp groups calling the victims “dead birds”.
Million Women Rise spokeswoman Sabrina Qureshi said: “Violence against women is widespread in our society, yet none of our political leaders are willing to truly take this on.
“We need change. From the disproportionate number of police officers who are offenders against women, to the clear back-slapping culture of hate, evidenced from the locker room to social media.
“Enough. We demand accountability. We demand a total overhaul and rethink of what and who the police are for.”
In a video message played to the crowd, Mina Smallman, the mother of the two murdered sisters, said: “It’s not on us to ensure our own safety, it’s up to the government legislation to ensure that we are kept safe and that we are believed when we come forward to say we have been attacked.”
Additional reporting by PA.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments