Here’s the rundown of everything that happened at Liverpool’s Reclaim the Night march

This Friday, the Reclaim the Night march took the streets of Liverpool by storm as the city and its students came together to “reclaim our streets, our nights and our rights”.

Starting at the Bombed Out Church and concluding at Derby Square, the march through the streets of Liverpool was a poignant moment where women stood together against fear, gender-based violence and harassment against female-identifying people.

The Reclaim the Night movement began in the 1970s following a series of violent attacks against women. The march started as a reaction to curfews and blame placed on women in the wake of the Yorkshire Ripper murders. The women that banded together during the origins of Reclaim the Night aimed to show it is not okay that women do not have the freedom to walk safely at night.

This year, the University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores University and Liverpool Hope University teamed up and brought this important cause right into our city.

Supported by Holly Thompson, the Liverpool Guild of Students’ vice president, JMSU vice president, Alexandria Jones, and welfare officers from Liverpool Hope SU, this protest was an inspiring testament to the power of the student voice.

The Liverpool Tab heard directly from them and the attendees on why this is a cause you should care about, and what the wider goals of this year’s march mean to them. You can check out the full interviews over on our TikTok page.

What happened at the march?

Most Read

People have spotted a huge I’m A Celeb editing error proving a bushtucker trial was staged

All the mega-famous actors who also auditioned for each Wicked role

Finally, Adam has actually addressed the rumours he and Amy are dating after MAFS UK

Female-identifying students met at the Bombed Out Church to begin the march down Bold Street and towards Derby Square. Student union representatives, vice presidents and welfare officers from all three universities made powerful speeches at the beginning of the march, highlighting the importance of the evening. There was an array of banners and signs to be seen all the way down the streets as allies joined at a designated point in Liverpool ONE. Women, girls, female-identifying people and allies sang, chanted and celebrated throughout the night as everyone came together to raise awareness for gender-based issues faced by students and the general public across the city.

As the march concluded at Derby Square, students climbed the steps in a poignant expression of their power and freedom – more speeches were made and organisers were celebrated for providing a safe space for women to come together and protest for their rights to be safe and secure during evenings in the city.

What motivated people to come to the march?

“It’s not about reclaiming, it’s about claiming… a woman is her own land, her own property.”

Protecting women’s right to their bodily autonomy was a key wish shared by those at the protest. Holly, a Liverpool John Moores student, spoke to The Liverpool Tab regarding her recent policy proposal to the LJMU student union to make the campus pro-choice.

When asked why this issue was so important to both herself and her female peers, she said: “I think there’s a lot of biased outlets out there which can be very dangerous and spread a lot of misinformation, and I think it’s really important to stand for non-biased, ethically sourced information”.

“To have your student union on your side with that [really] helps”.

Another Liverpool student, Alex, recounted a personal experience she had of a night out gone horribly wrong, when she had to take her friend to hospital following a “traumatic” incident on a night out in the city centre. This has led her to feel passionately about making the streets safer for women.

The personal testaments of dangerous night outs and a need for university campuses to stand with their students, all underline the necessity of Reclaim the Night. With 71 per cent of women across all age groups having experienced sexual harassment in public in the UK, the aims of the student unions involved, of improving the routes and frequency of the night bus service going in and out of town and ensuring that women are supported and safe during nights out, were met with great reception at the march.

The impressive turnout of the event demonstrates how much this cause resonates with the city. However, the work the student unions have been doing to make Liverpool a safer place for female-identifying people does not just end at the march.

What’s coming next?

SU vice presidents Holly Thompson and Alexandria Jones shared their plans to work on the wider goals relating to the Reclaim the Night march, and what the event means for female-identifying students.

In conversation with The Liverpool Tab, Holly told us: “The wider goal is to make sure people can get home safely, we want to expand the night bus so it goes to Kensington and more frequently… to Smithdown”

Holly shared how the Liverpool Guild of Students is working with Stagecoach to provide cheaper student tickets and an expanded night bus route. She also spoke of a need for bars to become better equipped to help women.

The Reclaim the Night campaign is continuing at the Guild with bystander intervention training on the 3rd of December, partnered with the JMSU and the Hope SU.

“We recognise there hasn’t been a Reclaim the Night since 2019, and we thought we need to keep the momentum going. We want to make sure women’s voices are being heard.” added Alexandria, from Liverpool John Moores’ student union.

She felt that the cause needed a revival following many of the recent challenges to women’s bodily autonomy over the world. She contacted other Liverpool student unions to come together and platform women’s rights, resulting in the success of this year’s march.

The student unions coming together with this common goal is a reassuring display of active listening and inclusion. Friday’s march was an impressive showcase of solidarity, and it’s clear the support is only growing from here.