On Wednesday the 8th of March, a group of about 30 protesters marched through the streets of Leeuwarden to raise awareness and demand change. Even though some of them doubted whether the manifestation would change something, they still wanted to join.
“I’m mostly protesting for the ones who can’t be there themselves”, says Amelia, one of the participants. “The situation in Groningen shows that the discrimination and harassment are still happening”, she added, referring to the case of Susanne Täuber, an assistant professor and social safety advocate, who was officially fired on International Women’s Day because of a “damaged working relationship”. #AmINext, a slogan used to show solidarity with Täuber’s case also appeared on several banners.
One of the speakers, Evy, herself a student Campus Fryslân, the RUG faculty in Leeuwarden, also picked up on the topic. “Can you imagine a university not protecting the safety of staff and students? Can you imagine a university firing a professor who works on achieving more inclusion? This is the reality of my university”.
Others highlighted the issue of sexual harassment, also in Friesland. Catcalling, physical abuse, unwanted physical contact and failure to respect consent were all mentioned multiple times: More than half of the participants raised their hand when asked if they have been harassed on the street or followed in Leeuwarden. Many of the speakers have also experienced these problems themselves, sharing their anger, sadness and determination to continue fighting for FLINTA (Female, Lesbian, Intersex, Trans and Agender) rights.
The protest ended with a short performance by a group of female dancers from The Factory dance studio dressed in black with hands covered in red paint, drawing attention to the issue of feminicide: a hate crime of killing women because of their gender. Depending on context, reasons for it can involve intimidation, revenge or domestic violence cases.
Besides marching and chanting, the manifestation also used chalk to write slogans and messages on the pavements: “Me2”, “my body my choice”, “no means no”, “am I next”, “we will be heard” and many more. “This way, we can also attract attention of the people who did not attend the protest”, states Julia Struzik, one of the organisers.
