Activist groups such as Sisters Uncut have made vital calls for justice and an end to state violence in the wake of Sarah Everard’s death, but the fight is far from over
On March 13, hundreds of people gathered on Clapham Common to pay tribute to Sarah Everard, who was kidnapped and murdered while walking home from a friend’s house a week earlier. The vigil, which took place despite police pushback, embodied the countrywide sadness and anger that was sparked by the killing, rooted in a culture of male violence against women.
Activist groups and supporters at the vigil also drew attention to the ongoing issue of police brutality and state violence, in light of a serving Metropolitan police officer being charged with Everard’s murder. In a grim but expected turn of events, the vigil ended with unprovoked and excessive police violence – officers trampled tributes, attempted to silence speakers, and made arrests when mourners and protesters expressed their opposition.
At subsequent marches, hundreds more people have protested against the Met’s aggressive response, as well as a proposed policing bill that threatens our right to protest. “We’re screaming as loud as we can and our throats are sore,” two friends told Dazed at a gathering in Parliament Square. “But we’re going to keep going because this is our lives, and we’re going to fight to the bitter end. Enough is enough, and we’ll keep shouting until it’s done.”
#KILLTHEBILL chants fill the air outside as Parliament debates. pic.twitter.com/CrLlkiUn6H
— Sisters Uncut (@SistersUncut) March 16, 2021
Sisters Uncut, in particular, organised five straight days of action beginning on March 13. The value of this direct action was made clear on March 18, when it was announced that the controversial policing bill would be delayed. The same day, it was also decided that misogyny will be considered a hate crime in the UK – though activists argue that individualising hate and increasing police powers does nothing to address systemic issues and actually enact change.
Despite the new changes, the fight against gender-based harassment, assault, and state violence is far from over. A recent survey exposed that 97 per cent of women in the UK aged 18 to 24 have been sexually harassed, while recent figures reveal that just 1.5 per cent of recorded rape cases lead to a charge.
Groups such as Sisters Uncut continue to lead the effort to make meaningful changes – in a recent interview with Dazed, the group outlined its steps to end male and state violence, including the necessity of increased funding for domestic and sexual abuse services, an end to austerity, and an overhaul of the criminal justice system.
Below, we’ve gathered some of the essential resources you can access, as well as a handful of organisations you can support in the fight against state violence.
Sisters Uncut
Formed in 2014 to defend domestic violence services from widespread austerity cuts, Sisters Uncut is a feminist direct action group that has transformed into a UK-wide movement – there’s now groups based in London, Doncaster, Newcastle, Bristol, Portsmouth, and Birmingham. The group takes an intersectional approach to fighting for women and gender non-conforming people’s right to live in safety, as well as broader political changes such as justice reform and an end to state violence. Support Sisters Uncut, and read the movement’s manifesto, here.
Abolitionist Futures
Abolitionist Futures is a coalition of community organisers and activists across the UK and Ireland, working toward a world based on social justice, rather than prisons and policing. The organisation campaigns on housing, health, education, and the environment, as well as calling for economic, racial, gender, sexual, and disability justice. It has also spoken alongside Sisters Uncut on how to build a movement to address justice reform following Sarah Everard’s death, and recently spoke to Dazed about why overpolicing and criminalisation is not the answer. Read more, and access the movement’s extensive reading list, via Abolitionist Futures’ website here.
📣 AT A PROTEST? 📣
— Green & Black Cross (@GBCLegal) June 13, 2020
- DON’T take leaflets from the police
- DON’T share information about SECTION 12 OR 14 on social media or by word of mouth as you could make people more likely to be convicted
- DO learn the 5 key messages pic.twitter.com/B1ODK2oWos
Green & Black Cross
Green & Black Cross is an independent grassroots project that has been providing legal support to those protesting for social and environmental causes in the UK for more than a decade. Its Training Collective delivers legal training to protesters and their supporters, while its Resource Collective manages online resources, including explainers on protest laws, graphics for social media, and bust cards detailing your rights, as well as COVID regulations. You can get involved via year-round workshops, and help cover the volunteer organisation’s costs, via the Green & Black Cross website here.
Sistah Space
Hackney-based organisation Sistah Space works with women and girls of African heritage who have experienced domestic or sexual abuse, or have lost a loved one to domestic violence. The volunteer-run organisation provides support, as well as practical help, such as providing hygiene products, with the aim of providing a safe venue for survivors and victims to report abuse.
At a recent vigil for Sarah Everard in Parliament Square, the group called for unity in the fight to end gender-based violence, and urged activists to direct as much attention to the cases of Black women. Watch below.
Sistah Space is currently raising funds for a vehicle to transport survivors, and you can help out here.
As sex workers we know that criminalisation does nothing to make us safer! We encourage everyone who can to get down Parliament Square tonight and make our collective voice heard! #KillTheBillhttps://t.co/LzKbZBEYh2
— SWARM (@SexWorkHive) March 16, 2021
SWARM
Sex Worker Advocacy and Resistance Movement (SWARM) is a collective founded and run by sex workers, campaigning for the rights and safety of everyone that sells sexual services, and advocating for full decriminalisation. The collective includes survivors of economic, domestic, border, transphobic, and sexual violence. Besides providing resources to educate and mobilise supporters, it has vocally opposed the new policing bill and called for activists to join protests in the wake of Sarah Everard’s death. Donations – which can be made here – will go toward mutual aid projects, public education, decriminalisation advocacy, and the SWARM Hardship Fund, which is especially vital to sex workers in precarious employment during the pandemic.
The #PoliceCrackdownBill has been delayed until later in the year! This is a victory and it's thanks to the incredible mobilisation led by @SistersUncut.
— #BlackLivesMatterUK (@ukblm) March 19, 2021
We will continue to strengthen our movements and networks, not only to #KillTheBill but to develop new worlds! 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/pHhvOPWMOp
Black Lives Matter
Over the course of 2020, Black Lives Matter became the biggest protest movement in US history, calling for justice for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and other Black people whose lives were cut short by police brutality and racially-motivated violence. In the wake of Sarah Everard’s death, the group has campaigned alongside Sisters Uncut to oppose the police crackdown bill, and continues to share information and advice for those calling for equality. You can find more information via local BLM chapters on social media – the UK-wide group can be found here.