Reclaim and Resist Vigil to be held online after #ReclaimTheseStreets Vigil cancelled

In response to the cancelled vigil for Sarah Everard earlier this month, Reclaim and Resist (formerly Reclaim These Streets York) have planned an online vigil on Saturday 3rd April at 9:30pm, “to pay our respects, and spend time together in our collective mourning and solidarity, for Sarah, and all those affected by and lost to gendered violence.”

After the 13th March vigil was cancelled due to government and police guidance, the online vigil hopes to pay respect in a Covid-safe manner whilst doing justice to the cause.

A minute’s silence will be held with attendees encouraged to light a candle. This will then be followed by an open mic “for anyone who feels moved to share their own thoughts, or messages of solidarity, love, hope, mourning, condolences, or resistance.”

Organisers have assured that there will be mental health first aiders present at the event to directly message throughout the vigil and in a separate Zoom call to take some time out if in need of support.

The York Tab spoke to Reclaim and Resist who commented: “It’s incredibly important to us to be able to pay our respects to all those we have lost, and stand together in solidarity against gendered violence. So many of us have our own experiences, and in the wake of tragic cases such as Sarah Everard there is an overwhelming feeling that she could have been any of us.”

They added: “There are too many stories, too many names, of women and people of marginalised genders who were taken from us, who didn’t receive justice or the kind of national conversation we are having right now. This vigil is for us to remember all of them, and to stand together in solidarity against gendered violence in all the ways that it is expressed both interpersonally and institutionally.

“We were frustrated by the pressure faced to cancel the original vigil when it absolutely could have gone ahead in a legal and Covid-safe manner, and are disappointed so many were robbed of the opportunity to stand together in our collective grief. We hope now to provide the opportunity for as many people as possible to have a safe space to be together as one, pay our respects, and share messages of love, hope, grief, resistance and solidarity. This is what we deserve.

“We are not going away any time soon and hope to build a collective and inclusive movement of support, solidarity, and resistance to gendered violence.”

Organisers of the vigil urge those who would like to speak, share music, poetry or anything else at the event to get in touch via their Instagram or by emailing [email protected].