Student Union Leads Reclaim The Night Protest

On Monday 24 November the annual and nation-wide Reclaim the Night protest took place in St Andrews, organised by the Student Union. 

The protest originated in Leeds in 1977 partly in response to the Yorkshire Ripper murders and the advice that was subsequently given to women by the police at the time to stay indoors during the night. 

President of Wellbeing & Community Alex Chun spearheaded the march down Market street and North street circling the town and ending at the Union, where the march began. Demonstrators held up signs and chanted as they made their way round town and consisted of members of the local community and students alike. Volunteers and police officers were stationed nearby to help guide traffic and walk on the outside of the protest to ensure public safety.

The protest was organised by the Union and supported by the St Andrews Feminist Society. The Feminist Society Committee told The Saint: “This protest represents the frustration and anger that all women experience when being told that they have to stay in at night to be safe. We believe in the efficacy of collective action, and we believe that engaging in this annual initiative will effect change. All women should be able to feel safe on a night out and be able to go out without fear of violence or harm.”

The Committee continued: “We urge the students and residents of St Andrews to act and speak up if they see something occurring at night, look out for each other, and go out with friends that you trust.”

Following the protest, The Saint spoke with second-year student Aimee Wallace, a committee member of Got Consent St Andrews — a student-led initiative to prevent sexual and gender-based violence. 

“It's really good to see the Union involved in such positive movements towards ending gender-based violence on campus alongside things like Got Consent,” Wallace said. “It's really important that the Union takes a stance on ending gender-based violence because students are more likely to experience gender-based violence than any other group.”

Wallace added, “We’re all here fighting for the same cause.” 

After the protest, there was a speaker event in the large rehearsal room in the Union. There was also the opportunity for students to mark on a large printed out map of St Andrews the areas where they feel unsafe and the areas where they feel safe to walk at night. The panel of speakers included Professor Dame Sally Mapstone Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University, Rector Stella Maris, Director of Student Experience Ros Claase, Dr Chris Lusk who was instrumental in founding student services, Got Consent Coordinator Zahra Ali, and Got Consent committee member Eliza Rinkema.

During her speech, the Principal discussed how she was at the very first Reclaim the Night protest in 1977 and it has long been a very important part of her life. In her speech, the Principal also discussed the failures of the police at the time in 1977 to protect women due to prejudice. 

“Whenever we allow stereotypes or dismissal to shape our response to harm we abandon those who most need us and we limit our ability to see violence clearly,” Principal Mapstone said. 

She added  that the Reclaim the Night protests serve as “a reminder that public streets belong to everyone and that safety should never be conditional on gender, sexuality or circumstance.”

The Principal also discussed the progress that has been made within the St Andrews community: “In recent years the University has taken deliberate steps to strengthen our structures of support. We underwent an independent assessment of our gender based violence policies and practices and we were recognised with the EmilyTest gender based violence charter award in 2023. We were the first institution in the UK to receive it [...] We must continue refining and strengthening the way we listen, we respond, and we care.”

Rector Maris’s speech focused on the importance of the protest: “Reclaim the Night isn't just a march, it's a refusal. A refusal to let fear dictate our routines, our routes home or our futures, a refusal to let harm sit in silence, and a refusal to let anyone believe their safety is negotiable.”

Photo Courtesy of the St Andrews Students' Association