On Wednesday the 9th of February, I attended a protest held at Bristo Square which demanded changes to the University of Edinburgh’s redressal system. The demands were as follows:
The University to take accountability for the harm they cause victims
The University to change their sexual violence redressal system to fully support and believe victims
The University to protect their students.
It was an empowering experience to be within a crowd who were all asking for the same things with such passion and persistence. Without knowing many people who attended, I nevertheless felt like part of a community, knowing that I was amongst people who shared my values which was both comforting and validating, a rare experience when surrounded by complete strangers.
“I felt like joining a community when I arrived. Chanting together makes me feel like I’m being heard by someone. These are all fears that we were each feeling in private so to be able to stand in a group and shout is a great outlet, it felt supportive and ultimately like I was not alone.
During the protest, in between chants there was a chance to listen to some survivors speak about why it is important for us to fight for these rights and how their own personal situations have been detrimentally affected by the Universities negligence. The survivors occupied a diverse background of different races, genders, gender identities and sexualities demonstrating that sexual violence and rape can happen to anyone regardless of personal identity, a harrowing but important truth that highlights the fact that the problem lies in the system. Hearing the survivors speak and seeing them stand in front of such a crowd with such bravery made the protest emotional and incredibly inspiring to see the sheer strength in their vulnerability.
One of the things that stuck out to me the most was that there was a male presence standing with us. I found myself surprised to see this which may be due to naivety or ignorance but also a lack of faith. I think it can be easy to forget that there are men who are willing to actively be part of the solution but the reminder that there are ways. This was possibly one of the biggest positive takeaways I personally got from this experience.
As someone bravely pointed out,
“as much as men are part of the problem, they have to be part of the solution. Men can also be the people with the kindness towards women, towards queer people, towards trans and nonbinary people and stand forward and call the bullsh*t out”
It is also important to stress that the protest and support did not end at the crowd that physically attended on the day but spreads far beyond that. Everyone who signed petitions, shared resources, spoke against sexual violence and those who listened to our chants from the surrounding buildings, your presence was felt.
“I was attending a lecture in a building nearby whilst the protest was going on and we could hear chants and uproars of clapping as people supported one another. It was amazing to hear how loud and powerful a group of people can be when they all come together”
The protest does not mark the end of a fight but the mere beginning. Continue to use your voice and express your well justified anger to force the university to finally take accountability.
*Phrases in bold are quotes from other attendees at the protest.
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