Sunday 25th November was the International Day to Eliminate Violence Against Women, designated by the UN after the death of the Mirabal Sisters. Women’s groups across the world held vigils and marches to honour the 137 women a day who are murdered by a partner or family member worldwide.
IDEVAW kicked off 16 days of activism, including a UN initiative of campaigns across the globe aiming to end sex-based violence. Responses varied, with Canadian PM Justin Trudeau using the event to boast of his commitment in combating violence against women and people of diverse gender identities.
The Turkish government were somewhat less enthusiastic. Hundreds of women gathered to protest male violence in Istanbul's Istiklal Avenue. When the police reacted with batons and tear gas the crowd responded with chants of "we will not keep silent, be afraid or submit.” A police barricade halted their progress and eventually dispersed the crowds.
In Manchester, ugly scenes marred a silent vigil when a steward and a protester were attacked by a man who accused them of "ruining Christmas." We decided to catch up with the women affected to find out more.
Around 150 women had gathered for a silent March throughout the City Centre to commemorate the 127 women killed this year by their family members or intimate partners.
At around 2.45pm they had reached King Street and were walking in single file in silence. Laura Briggs, 27 an English teacher from Burnley, told MMN! what happened next.
According to Briggs she’d noticed a man looking at the vigil from across the road, before he decided to cross over to intervene.
At first glance he appeared to be wearing official identification, although his demeanour suggested he was somewhat intoxicated. On closer inspection she realised he was wearing a Big Issue ID badge. The Big Issue is a charity which helps homeless people generate an income by selling magazines in the United Kingdom.
According to Briggs he halted the March, squared up to a steward and hectored her before angrily pushing her out of his way.
Briggs was next in line. He threw a punch, which she swerved, taking the blow to her shoulder. He said they were ruining Christmas and that "you need to fuck off now." At this point, another steward intervened and attempted to calm him down.
Briggs continued walking and so did not see what happened next. She was unharmed but she noted that the incident occurred outside Costa Coffee, with numerous patrons sitting outside, failing to intervene. Many women taking part had lost loved ones that year and were marching holding their photographs.
ManFriday member Gemma Griffiths was marching behind Laura Briggs and witnessed the events in question. She reacted quickly, attracting the attention of two police officers sitting in a nearby police car and asked them to intervene to placate the alleged aggressor.
The vigil continued and ended with a sombre mood in Piccadilly Gardens where organiser Claire Moore read out the names and ages of all the women murdered, along with their killers. According to Moore previous marches have attracted hecklers but nothing like this has ever happened before. You can find out more about the history of the March here.
If you, or somebody you know are affected by domestic abuse and you need help you find you can find it here. A Pay Pal account has been set up to fund next year's events if you would like to contribute.
If you would like to make a donation to support women fleeing domestic abuse why not visit https://www.gofundme.com/ride-for-murdered-women. Jean Hatchet cycles to raise money for domestic violence refuges and writes a blog to honour the women killed every year in the United Kingdom by their intimate partners or family members.
By DJ Lippy
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