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Women, InterruptedThe Reaction toReclaim These StreetsShows How Women are Trivialised
Kat Cary explains how women have been met with doubt and hostility, even when organising a peaceful act of remembrance
During a year when there is precious little sense of community, the pressure put on the women organising the Reclaim These Streets (RTS) vigils is beyond disappointing. But it does serve to highlight the many ways in which women’s concerns are trivialised in our society.
Sarah Everard’s murder was a painful reminder that being cautious and self-aware sometimes isn’t good enough. Women everywhere have been reminded that what happened to Sarah could have happened to any of us. Being made aware of how vulnerable we are despite the precautions we unconsciously take every day is emotionally exhausting. In response, we have been told that we cannot be trusted to run a safe event outdoors.
After careful planning, coordination, and considerations for keeping Saturday’s vigil COVID-safe, Scottish organiser Chloe Whyte made this announcement on Facebook last Friday evening:
“Following the decision of the High Court in London and comments from the Scottish Cabinet Health Secretary, Jeanne Freeman MSP, the organisers of the Reclaim These Streets Edinburgh vigils decided to build on events currently being hosted online and cancel all of our in-person gatherings.”
While there were benefits to switching to an online-only event, RTS Edinburgh had already planned an online event to accompany live vigils at two locations. A few speakers who could not attend in person were able to submit a speech via video. The online vigil was a great success. Community members were encouraged to light candles in windows and on doorsteps, hang hand-painted signs, and chalk messages on pavements. Many took the time to deliver and amplify RTS’s vital message – that our streets and public spaces need to be made safe for the women who use them.
The organisers of RTS Glasgow similarly liaised with Police Scotland to ensure a COVID-safe outcome, confirming that local leaders adopted a very different approach to the Met Police. The Glasgow vigil actively discouraged mass gatherings, instead giving people various options in how they could participate.
“While it was frustrating to be limited, we wanted to be able to do something that encouraged as many people to get involved as possible,” RTS Glasgow co-organiser Nikki Forde said, “which is why we organised both at home shows of support and also at the four locations around Glasgow. We also wanted this to be as safe as possible. We did not want the message that we were trying to put out to be lost in a narrative of breaking COVID restrictions.”
Despite these careful considerations, the Met Police’s actions continue to be directly compared to the Rangers football celebrations last week, which saw thousands of fans intimately celebrate their team’s championship victory.
It was even the main subject addressed by Kaye Adams first thing Monday morning on BBC Radio Scotland. There was little mention of the well-attended online vigils that took place in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Worse, there was no mention of the practical concerns that women face in our every day lives. Instead, for most of the segment, callers referred to the women arrested at the Clapham vigil as “girls”, while one caller said that the force used by police should not be viewed too critically, comparing the arrest of a grown woman to a toddler having a tantrum.
This media narrative illustrates how the police action at Clapham Commons serves a dual purpose – to obfuscate the issues at the heart of the matter and facilitate the UK Government’s agenda. Comparisons made between Clapham Common and the Rangers celebrations last week are both clumsy and inaccurate – detracting from the message of the Reclaim These Streets movement.
Daily Anguish
To add insult to injury, Priti Patel is again taking centre stage as the Conservative Party’s token villainess. This week, she is pushing through legislation that would curb freedom of expression and protest.
Her legislation is so severe that an action can meet criminal offence criteria if deemed a risk of causing ‘serious annoyance’. What action, in this day and age, could not be considered so?
The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill – that imposes stiffer penalties for damaging a statue than for attacking a woman – does not apply to Scotland at this time. But we are painfully aware of Westminster’s power to override Scottish law when it serves its purpose.
We cannot afford to forget the lessons of this week’s events – and what they show us about attitudes towards women in modern Britain.
“Being encouraged not to organise as a result of a woman’s murder at the hands of a man within the police is patronising,” Glasgow organiser Forde says. “There should have been constructive engagement into how women could make their anger and sadness known in a way that is safe for everyone while also highlighting the need for change. Women deserve to take up space in our cities and everywhere.”
Lily, a co-organiser of RTS Edinburgh, relayed a story that many can relate to. “My shoes tend to always come undone, so I often end up walking with my shoelaces untied. Occasionally I’ll get stopped and someone will tell me that my shoe is undone… Whether I have my headphones in, it’s at night, or I appear to be busy, 99 out of 100 times it’s a man who feels the need to interrupt me and tell me something that I already know.”
Sadly, the act of women standing up for themselves, calling out problematic behaviour, advocating for better police practices, and wanting to come together to grieve after a tragedy is once again being met with distrust and outright hostility.
Women going about their daily lives are often disrupted by well-meaning men who do not understand the heavy emotional toll that constant vigilance and self-awareness requires. As we move on with life after the pandemic, please remember to support RTS. Help to ensure that last week’s events serve as a long-overdue catalyst to make our society a safer, more equitable place for women.
Kat Cary was one of the organisers of the RTS Edinburgh vigil