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With night falling ever earlier ("would madam like some dusk with her mid-afternoon tea?"), Londoners can be forgiven for feeling apprehensive whilst on their own, in dark streets and cold temperatures. Women in particular have been urged to take care when getting from A to B in London - it is sad but true that special campaigns for women's safety while travelling at night still have to be created.
Today is International Elimination of Violence Against Women Day and also the start of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence. The significance of 16 days is in linking International Elimination of Violence Against Women Day on 25th November with International Human Rights Day on 10th December. To mark International Elimination of Violence Against Women Day and the start of this period of activism, there will be a London Feminists' Network organised Reclaim the Night march for women only this evening starting from Soho Square and ending at the University of London Union in Euston.
Women marchers will assemble in Soho Square at 6pm and march together to show solidarity, support and action against violence towards women: this march is in honour of all the women who weren't heard or helped when they were harmed and for the women who might be at risk of being harmed. The aim is to say a loud "no" to violence against women and to show it won't be tolerated.
Reclaim the Night march, starts tonight 6.00pm at Soho Square. Please note: this is a women only march, male supporters are welcome at the 7.30pm rally taking place at the finishing point at the University of London Union, Malet Street. Traffic in this area will be affected between 6.00pm and 7.30pm.
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Gotta love the way they're trying to combat sexism by, errm, being sexist and organising a women-only event. Are they too stupid to see that such things are counter-productive? And of course the hypocrites obviously haven't thought about what their own reaction would be to a similar men-only event.
And what would a similar men only event be? What actually do you feel the need to reclaim?
The march is not to combat 'sexism' it's to combat violence against women. For shame that the silly girls should want to make a stand about such things without the help of a strong intelligent bloke like yourself.
There are lots of feminist events that you and I are more than welcome to join in and get actively involved with, but I guess you already exhausted all those avenues before bitching about being excluded from this one.
As for them being stupid, well just mentioning the march has already helped highlight the small mindedness of yourself. Way to go though - it's almost December and you managed to post the dumbest comment of the year so far.
I apologise in advance if you did indeed put your mouth where your typing finger is and actually went along to the rally (where you were of course more than welcome) to point out to the people involved just how sexist they were being.
Violence directed at women because of their sex *is* sexist, whatever you might think.
And I am curious how you think that this has highlighted my "small mindedness". Do please explain, I can always do with a laugh.
David, I think you're a little confused. Sexism is, according to the good old OED:
"The assumption that one sex is superior to the other and the resultant discrimination practised against members of the supposed inferior sex, esp. by men against women; also conformity with the traditional stereotyping of social roles on the basis of sex."
See, I'd agree that beating women up as they walk home is sexist. But lots of women walking together is discriminatory how, exactly? Do you feel excluded, victimised or inferior because of it?
OED also says on feminism:
"Advocacy of the rights of women (based on the theory of equality of the sexes)."
It's lazy stereotyping to say that feminism is anti-men. It's about equality, and when women are no long the more oppressed gender than perhaps it'll be appropriate to call it something else.