Hundreds attend march against male violence in Bristol

A march against male violence has taken place in Bristol city centre, where demonstrators called for an end to male violence and justice for the women who have been killed by men.

It started with a vigil on College Green at around 2pm, before protestors marched to Castle Park and listened to several speeches by some of the activists who attended.

The event description read: "We are not second-class citizens. We will not accept your violence. We will not stand for your emotional abuse. We will not ignore the actions of rapists. We will not allow this system to crush us. We will crush IT.

"We are dying and they control our narrative. We are fearful and they will not change it. Until men take responsibility for the violence their community puts us through, we must be the ones to fight back.

"There are so many we plead justice for, so many we wish were still here fighting this fight with us. Now we must fight for the ones we've lost, and the ones who are still with us."

Hundreds of people attended the demonstration, and many told ITV West Country they have experienced male violence in some form.

Sunday's event remembered some of the women who have died, including Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman, Sabina Nessa, Sarah Everard, Ishrat Ahmed and Amy Griffiths.

It comes as the Home Secretary has recently backed plans to set up a phone service that protects women when they are walking alone at night.

Priti Patel has verbally supported BT's plans for a "walk me home" emergency number to allow vulnerable women to have their journeys tracked and an alert triggered if they do not reach home in time.

The firm’s chief executive Philip Jansen said the idea came because he was filled with “outrage and disgust” after the murders of Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa.