A number of people left flowers by Bangor clock this afternoon as a tribute to Sarah Everard, whose disappearance on a walk home has reignited a national debate on women’s safety and sexual assault.

A London Metropolitan Police officer, Wayne Couzens, has been charged with the kidnap and murder of 33-year-old Sarah.

Vigils under the banner of a growing movement, Reclaim These Streets, were due to take place in Clapham Common, close to where Sarah Everard went missing, and across a further 31 locations in the UK.

As police urged people not to gather over concerns about the spread of coronavirus, people across the country are now looking for other ways to remember Sarah and call for an end to violence against women and girls.

In Bangor, friends Danielle Friel and Charlotte Hughes decided to place flowers at the clock tower and share photos on social media in support of #ReclaimTheseStreets and in memory of Sarah.

Danielle explained: “The circumstances surrounding her attack are ones so familiar to all of us that women all over social media have shared their own stories of sexual harassment and violence in support of the #ReclaimTheseStreets movement.

“The movement is not about labelling all men as violent predators; but rather it is about allowing our voices to be heard and asking men to listen and recognise the role they play in reducing the level of toxic misogynistic behaviour which has become an all too normal part of our society.

“With Covid restrictions still in place it was impossible to organise a vigil in town, so we decided to lay flowers at Bangor clock and encourage others to do the same. By sharing the photographs and stories online, we felt this was a way to pay our respects to Sarah Everard, and all other victims of this type of violence.

“Every woman deserves the right to walk the streets without fear of being attacked and the stories being shared online this week sadly highlight how few women do actually feel safe.

“Our condolences to Sarah and her family and friends. Dani & Charlotte.”

Bangor Online Vigil

On Wednesday 17 March local Councillor Catrin Wager and Bangor University Student’s Union are organising an online vigil.

A statement on the Facebook Event Page said: “We’ve all been following the tragic case of Sarah Everard over the last week and have been saddened to hear the news of her death. Here in Wales, the murder of Wenjing Lin demonstrates that violence against women is alive in our communities and needs to be challenged.

“Members of the Bangor and Bethesda community are organising an online vigil for Sarah and Wenjing, but also for all women who feel unsafe, who go missing from our streets, and who face violence every day.

“The vigil will be held on Wednesday 17th March at 8pm and we will share more information in this event as soon as possible.”

For more information and updates about the event visit: https://www.facebook.com/events/340309074064698/