Hundreds take to streets over surge in drink-spiking
HUNDREDS joined a city centre protest to take a stance against drinkspiking.
People across the UK boycotted clubs on Wednesday following reports of a spate of spiking incidents.
Young women around Fallowfield and the city centre have recently reported becoming ill.
Police have been investigating after three women fell ill at the Ark nightclub
on Deansgate Locks in September. Hundreds gathered outside the Central Library in St Peter’s Square to hear from speakers, councillors and victims.
The organisers of the event read 110 names of the women and girls who had died this year as a result of femicide, the oldest being 93 and the youngest being two. A moment of silence then fell to remember victims.
Then, in a defiant stance, one of the organisers encouraged the crowd to walk with them through the streets of the city centre. They began walking down Oxford Road, chanting: “Whose streets?” “Our streets.”
Many of the crowd were carrying homemade signs such as ‘Girls just want to be safe,’ ‘Let me be safe’ and ‘This is not our responsibility.’
The march continued onto the square by Home, where it stopped to hear more speeches. The protest remained peaceful, with people sharing their stories and experiences.
Some nightclubs closed in solidarity, including 42’s and The Venue. A post on 42nd Street’s social media accounts read: “We support the “girlsnightinmanc” initiative to improve the safety of people on a night out.”
The Venue said: “We are in constant dialogue with Manchester Licensing, our security team and our staff to do more to stop what is an increasingly concerning issue. As a nightlife operator, our customers safety has always been, and will remain, our number one priority.”