Controversial policing bill and police brutality brings hundreds together marching in Cardiff.
48 hours after the police crackdown on the vigil held in Clapham common for Sarah Everard, protesters in Cardiff unite.
Protesters gathered outside the South Wales Police station in Cardiff Bay at 6pm on Monday to voice their concerns over the safety of women, police brutality and the much debated policing bill that is set to be voted upon in the coming days.
Issues pertaining the discrimination faced by minorities and the black lives matter movement were also key topics discussed. The protest saw numerous students step up and voice their opinions on their duty to participate in the discourse and their need to take a stand.
Photo courtesy : Prerana Bandi
Tara Cheetham, a student from Cardiff University said, “I went to fight for my rights as a woman, because I’m sick of the constant fear of men and the way I have to live and the awful things I suffer as a woman. I think that all students should speak up and get involved with this movement because we cannot and should not accept the system as it is today”.
She added that she wasn’t aware of the policing bill that was to be passed on Tuesday and she believes that it is a complete breach of human rights. The protest was not only a means to voice her opinion but she believes that it was an immense learning experience about the deep-rooted prejudice and discrimination that minorities experience.
She said, “The protest was aimed mainly at the police force, but I was protesting for the treatment of all minorities and the racist and sexist system that we are subject to, but of course the corruption and crimes of the police force as well.”
(Photo courtesy : Prerana Bandi)
Juliana Fonseca, an undergraduate student from Cardiff University, believes that protests are powerful means to help bring about policy changes and also a way to pressurize the government to take action. She adds that protests also help bring awareness to both the government and the people making them see the injustices the minorities face.
Juliana said, “It is a form of direct action and I believe that it’s really important to raise awareness. Protests have proved to bring out change and it doesn’t take much for us students and citizens to go out on the streets and fight for a cause”.
Eva, who is also a student in Cardiff expressed the importance of student voices. “Students have a massive voice. The protest is not only about the #endpolicebrutality #endviolenceagainstwomen and #blacklivesmatter, it is also about the current situation with the anti-protest bill that is going through parliament as we speak. Protesting is our democratic right,” she said.
Protesting during the pandemic comes with its own challenges as, very often it is hard to maintain social distance and constantly sanitize as there are large groups of people in a small area. Evie spoke about her fear of protesting in a pandemic but also added that her high belief in the movement pushed her to speak up and voice her dissent.
She said, “I would rather use my voice to protect my human rights and my place in this world as not just a human being but also a woman. We have been dehumanized and it’s time for it to stop.” She hopes for the men in our communities to take responsibility, “#notallmen is trending right now, when men should be taking action and calling out those who have sexually assaulted women. The only way to take down an oppressive system is to do it from the inside”, she said.
She added that something needed to be done about the way these crimes are looked at. Instead of looking at it as ‘Women being assaulted’ and ‘Crimes against women’ she believes it must be viewed as ‘men assaulting women’. She says that it’s important to stop indirectly blaming women and make men take accountability by seeing it this way.
Students who just join university are at a stage when they begin to form opinions and are finding their voice which is why Tara believes that she’s been feeling the need to protest now more than ever.
She said, “I am protesting now because since moving to university I have learnt a lot more about the extent of these problems and the social media movement associated with these problems has made me more aware. I will keep protesting and keep fighting all my life until these injustices stop, but at this point, I struggle so much as a woman that any improvement to the system which would keep me safe would feel like a blessing, even though it would be just basic human rights”.