What happened? 

My name is Dania. On Saturday 13th March 2021, I – like many thousands of others – attended a vigil in Clapham Common in honour of Sarah Everard and other victims of brutal violence. Although there were lockdown restrictions at the time, I believed that the issues at stake were too important to ignore, and that women in particular needed a space where we could mourn, express our outrage and call for change.

I have been on the receiving end of brutal violence, I know what it feels like to have your life flash before your eyes. When the news broke out about Sarah Everard, I could not shake away the fear and pain she must have felt in her final moments, and the lifelong pain this will cause to her loved ones. I also could not pretend that this was a one-off event, that 3 women do not die every week in the UK due to violence. All the pain and frustration from my own experiences and knowing it’s happening to so many other people felt suffocating. The only positive way I felt I could move forward was to honour Sarah’s life, and to channel that pain and anger by shouting enough is enough, no more violence. That is why I went to the vigil.

Now, more than a year later, the Metropolitan police are prosecuting me for breaching the COVID regulations. It feels surreal, like we’ve completely lost the bigger picture. It feels like our reasons for attending the vigil do not matter, that the lives lost to violence aren’t important enough. 

I am defending myself on the basis that I was exercising my freedom of expression and of assembly in a reasonable manner. The Met, instead of helping me and other women to do this in the safest way possible, shut down all efforts at organising a socially-distanced vigil. Their actions at the time have now been declared unlawful by the High Court.

If the police win, I will end up with a criminal conviction. But that isn’t the only reason I am fighting this case. I want to send a message to victims of violence that we will not apologise for our human rights to have a space to mourn, to process our pain and to call for change. I want to send a message to the Met and to police officers to act differently next time, to act with more compassion. 

At a time where confidence in law enforcement is at an all time low, we need to work together towards building trust. We should start by not silencing those who speak up against violence but instead spend those resources towards protecting victims.

Why am I raising funds?

My case is listed for a three-day trial in November. It will involve cross-examining a number of police officers and making complex legal arguments. I need lawyers to do this on my behalf – just as the Met do.

How much do I need?

I am hoping to raise £3200. This is in order to cover the costs of my solicitor and barrister (who have agreed to represent me at well below their usual fees), the money I have already spent on the forms needed to reopen the conviction in my absence, and the CPS costs in case I am convicted. I may seek to raise further funds in the future if, for example, I need to instruct an expert to give evidence at the trial.

Thank you for your support.