Despite bitter temperatures, University of Lincoln students gathered on Tuesday night to take a stand ‘against harassment and sexual assault on the streets at night.’
The annual ‘Reclaim the Night’ march saw 500+ students and staff, as recorded by the University of Lincoln Students’ Union. Among them were both men and women studying at the University.
Before the march took place, The Students’ Union’s Vice President of Wellbeing & Community, Zuzanna Romanska, 25, made a speech.
Zuzanna said; “If it takes us each year to march, shouting the same words, expressing the same frustrations, until we can shout no more, so be it.”
After the unifying speech, armed with only placards, the peaceful protest marched from the Students’ Union Building to the city centre. Vice President of the University’s Feminist Society, and strong advocate for women’s rights, Poppy Ryan, 20, said:
“The march is so important for the Feminist Society as to us it’s such an important cause for all women of all ages. It’s really sad that it’s still an issue we have to protest and raise awareness for so for us it’s very important to continue showing our support and passion behind safety for all women at all times of the day. Everyone deserves safety.”
A student protesting at the march commented; “I was honestly really emotional, but the response from strangers in the street was heartwarming.” Another said, “It was very inspiring to be around so many strong women.”
Just in August 2023, 467 cases of violence and sexual offences were reported by Lincolnshire Police across the City of Lincoln. The march was affiliated with the ‘White Ribbon Campaign,’ a global charity which focuses on educating men about the issues faced by women.