“Say it once, say again: no excuse for violent men!” rang through the streets of Cambridge yesterday evening, as an estimated 135 women took part in a Reclaim the Night march.

The protest was a collaboration between the CUSU Women’s Campaign and Anglia Ruskin’s Feminist Society, and was designed to raise awareness about harassment and sexual violence against women.

The event, which began on Parker’s Piece with speeches, progressed through the town centre to King’s College Chapel, where a candlelit vigil of feminist poetry and reflection took place.

In the female-only event, paticipants were enthusiastic about their impact. One called it “powerful”, stating that, “we all have a right to walk down a street without fear”. Jazz Rainbow, at Clare College, said, “tonight is a literal manifestation of owning the streets. That’s got to mean something.”

Reaction from bystanders was overwhelmingly positive. Ms Krais said, “it’s a good thing to put women ahead of men. All this is creating awareness and will only make things better for women.” Philip Ward, a Cambridge resident of twenty years, said, “women have had a raw deal for centuries, and they still have a rough time of it now”.

There was some criticism of the attitude towards male participation, however. Isabel Barnes, a first-year architect at King’s, who participated, was sceptical: “I don’t think banning men is helpful. People already have a skewed view of feminism and it’s not about being aggressive or man-hating. I definitely wasn’t going to hold a banner saying ‘Fuck Off’ to men on it.”

As one man attempted to keep to the tarmac cycling through Parker’s Piece, he was booed by demonstrators. Later in the evening, police moved on a male loiterer. The officer was overheard saying, “I think they’d rather you weren’t here”.  The man claimed that he wanted to support the march. There was a small men's solidarity march which joined the main protesters before they reached King's Chapel.

Lauren Steele, CUSU Women’s Officer, told the crowd, “Sexual violence has to stop…We demand to use public space without fear…We aim for safety for women this night and all.”  In King’s College Chapel later, she asked the assembled to write how they felt and to describe their hopes for the future. These pieces of paper then decorated a solidarity tree at the altar.

In a closing speech, Lauren said: “Let’s leave here with lots of love and lots of empowerment in our hearts.”