A vigil for Sarah Everard to be held on Saturday in Nottingham

A vigil for Sarah Everard is to be held this Saturday in Nottingham City Centre in light of the 33-year-old’s disappearance in south London last week.

The event will be taking place at the Brian Clough Statue in Old Market Square at 6pm and has been organised by the Nottingham Women for Change organisation and Nottingham People’s Assembly.

In an attempt to Reclaim These Streets, the vigil has been planned as more and more women share their anger at the constant threat they face every day on the streets.

Organisers of Saturday afternoon’s vigil said: “We believe that streets should be safe for women, regardless of what you wear, where you live or what time of day or night it is. We shouldn’t have to wear bright colours when we walk home and clutch our keys in our fists to feel safe.

“It’s wrong that the response to violence against women requires women to behave differently. In Clapham, police told women not to go out at night this week. Women are not the problem.

“We’ve all been following the tragic case of Sarah Everard over the last week. This is a vigil for Sarah, but also for all women who feel unsafe, who go missing from our streets and who face violence every day.”

The vigil will observe strict Covid-19 safety guidelines which include compulsory mask-wearing and social distancing, downloading the NHS contact tracing app is encouraged too.

In order to allow those shielding or self-isolating to show their solidarity, supporters are asked to light a candle at home and to post pictures on social media using #VigilForSarah or #ReclaimTheseStreets.

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