Protest gathering in the dark as women shine a light on harassment
Dark and dangerous – the bridge under Dumbarton Central Station.
By Lucy Ashton
A gathering will take place in Vale of Leven later this month as worried women campaign to “Reclaim The Night”.
Anxiety about personal safety heightened after the then Labour-controlled West Dunbartonshire Council decided to save money on street lighting.
Women from Dumbarton and across the rest of the area protested in Alexandria in November last year.
And they will be gathering again this year on Tuesday, November 27, 2018, at 18:30 to express their dismay that protest received little or no reaction from the present Tory-backed SNP administration.
The gathering has been organised by the Scottish Socialist Party.
A spokesperson for the party told The Democrat: “Since the 2016 demo there has been a 51% rise in sex crimes in West Dunbartonshire.
“This is unacceptable in an area where poverty dominates much of the landscape for women.
“This event will give us a chance to make our voices heard and to force the council and Scottish government to reverse all austerity measures that endanger our lives disproportionately.
“Women in West Dunbartonshire live five years less than our counterparts in East Dunbartonshire.
“Let’s say NO to sexual harassment in the work place, in our homes and on the streets.”