Liverpool Guild deputy president delivers anti-misogyny petition to Downing Street

TW: This article discusses misogyny, sexual harassment, and violence.

Last Friday, Liverpool Guild deputy president, Holly Thompson, delivered an anti-misogyny petition to Downing Street.

Thompson, a UoL graduate with a BSc in Geography, has been co-leading a campaign to reclassify misogyny as a hate crime in the UK.

The Liverpool Tab spoke to the deputy president about her motivations behind the petition against gender based violence. She expressed her concern for “how ingrained it’s becoming” across university campuses and beyond.

She has been working alongside Amara Relf from Leeds University Student Union and Lily Allan from Newcastle University Student Union to develop the campaign.

Last week, the three visited 10 Downing Street to deliver the petition to Keir Starmer.

The trio had conducted a national survey on gender based violence in the UK which revealed 64.7 per cent of students across Russell Group universities said they would be more likely to report acts of misogyny if it was legally considered a hate crime.

Currently, legislation in England and Wales covers five protected characteristics: race, religion, sexual orientation, transgender identity, and disability.

As sex is not covered, misogyny falls outside the scope of hate crime legislative framework. Although serious sexual offences carry severe sentences, the everyday behaviours like catcalling, groping, sexually suggestive comments and harassment are often left unpunished.

The petition, which garnered 114,927 signatures, calls for an amendment of the Sentencing Act 2020 to change this. It also calls to record crimes motivated by misogyny as hate crimes.

It also calls on the government to introduce tougher laws for online abuse. Moreover, it seeks funding for specialised training of police and prosecutors, and to provide more support in education.

This crack down is an important step in ensuring the protection of women nationwide. In an interview with Holly Thompson, she told The Liverpool Tab that reclassifying misogyny as a hate crime hopes to send a clear message. Specifically, gender-based hostility is unacceptable.

Holly described her growing concern about the spread of misogyny both online and offline. She highlighted the growth of the ‘manosphere’ and figures like Andrew Tate influencing young boys.

The deputy president has even received hate online for promoting this campaign. She said: “It’s really concerning how ingrained it [misogyny] is becoming.”

“Some comments I’ve got on my Instagram and TikTok just prove our point and reaffirm how important it is that we address the issue”.

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Making misogyny a hate crime means that cases would be reported as aggravated offences based on hostility towards a protected characteristic.

Misogyny is not just a societal issue, but also an institutional one. Research shows the prevalence of misogyny in universities. As sabbatical officers, Holly, Amara, and Lily are committed to ensuring student safety and well-being. For this reason, tackling misogyny is a large part of this.

Holly affirmed one major aspect of their campaign is improving prevention through education.

“This would prioritise funding in systems, specifically schools, starting with primary school not just secondary” she told us.

Since the petition has reached 100,000 signatures, it will now be open to debate amongst MPs.

Holly told us: “We are currently waiting on a debate to happen in parliament”, which she estimates to be around October of this year.

“When that happens we will be lobbying MPs to attend the debate and vote on it”.

She also said she had been in contact with Kim Johnson. Johnson, the MP for Liverpool Riverside, “seems supportive from initial conversations, though obviously you never know how anyone will act when it comes to a debate.”

Holly emphasised that, as a student body, young people should use their voices to put pressure on local MPs.

She encouraged students to email the body to ensure they attend the debate, and to push the agenda and support local charities. She said: the petition reaching 100,000 signatures demonstrates just how powerful a student movement can be.

Holly is a BSc geography graduate who was elected as the Liverpool Guild of Students’ deputy president in March 2025. She also ran a term as vice president in 2024.

Last December, she co-lead a march for the grassroots campaign Reclaim the Night, and ran banner making sessions, bystander intervention trainings, and public speaking workshops for Liverpool students to attend.