Students take part in Reclaim the Night march across Leeds
Students marched through Leeds city centre as part of the annual Reclaim the Night event highlighting ongoing concerns around safety.
Image Credits- Lucy Eason
Last Thursday, Leeds University students took to the streets as part of the city’s annual Reclaim the Night march, armed with loudspeakers, placards and a message that has echoed for decades:
‘What do we want? Safe streets! When do we want them? Now!’
Women’s safety and Gender-Based Violence have long been critical issues nationwide, with particular concern in major cities like Leeds. Woodhouse Moor, the public park situated between the city center and Hyde Park, is frequently cited by students as unsafe for women travelling alone at night. Despite a recent spate of sexual assaults in the park, and repeated calls for the area to be fitted with floodlighting and CCTV, changes have yet to be implemented.
Recent statistics obtained from a Freedom of Information request submitted to West Yorkshire Police by The Gryphon show that, so far in 2025, 94 sexual offences have been recorded across Headingley and Hyde Park, involving 91 victims, 77% of whom were women.
The march was organised by Amara Relf, Union Affairs and Communications Officer for University of Leeds. The route ran from campus through the city centre and concluded with speeches at the university’s Beech Grove Plaza.
Speaking ahead of the march, Relf said the event was intended as “a visible statement that Leeds rejects gender-based violence and that everyone deserves to feel safe moving around campus and the city.”
When asked what can be done to tackle gender-based violence, she highlighted that, alongside safety measures such as improved lighting and CCTV, mandatory consent and bystander training should be used as a form of prevention through education. She also stressed the importance of evidence-led policy, based on research such as the Russell Group Students’ Unions Gender-Based Violence Survey.
Along the route, participants were joined by more students from across the university. A second year student said she attended because “It angers me that I can’t feel safe walking around my own neighbourhood and city- I wanted to do something about it.”
As the march progressed, members of the public stopped to watch, with some offering words of encouragement, while others filmed from nearby streets and buildings. However, participants were heckled on several occasions, largely by men along the route.
The night concluded with a series of speeches from attendees, drawing applause from the crowd and interest from passing students. Organisers said they hope the event will contribute to continued pressure for improved safety measures across Leeds.