Jess Bostock and Sylvie Pope – who have been campaigning for nearly three years – have been celebrating their achievements, as the UK government last week announced that it will ask the police to record crimes motivated by a person’s sex or gender.
Following the tragic death of Sarah Everard, Home Office Minister, Baroness Williams, last Wednesday declared that all police forces in England and Wales will be asked to record crimes caused by hostility based on sex or gender from autumn onwards, and this change is taking place while the government awaits the outcomes of the Law Commissions review of hate crime legislation.
Two graduates from @officialuom who founded the @MisogynyIsHate campaign in 2018 have been celebrating this week, as @govuk announced that the police will be asked to record crimes motivated by a person's sex or gender https://t.co/GHpEcN56lE
For Jess and Sylvie, this is a major step forward, as it brings them closer to their goal of ensuring that misogyny is classed as a hate crime, which will help to tackle male violence against women.
Having experienced unwanted sexual advances and everyday sexism herself, Sylvie Pope started the campaign to make misogyny a hate crime as leader of Greater Manchester Citizens Women’s Action Group back in 2018 – while still a Social Sciences student at The University of Manchester – and was inspired to take action after hearing about Nottingham Citizens, a group who had successfully campaigned to see Nottinghamshire Police become the first police force in the UK to record misogyny as a hate crime.
The pair then brought together women from across Greater Manchester’s communities to form an alliance as part of Greater Manchester Citizens.
Community leaders from @GMCitizens launched this campaign in 2018, following calls from women across Manchester and in admiration of the successes of @NottinghamCitz (2)
Since forming, the team have campaigned relentlessly, running a series of action events, conducting research into misogyny in Greater Manchester, meeting with decision makers and sharing experiences of harassment, violence and hate.
Not only was their campaigning instrumental to the Law Commission’s review of hate crime legislation last week, but in 2020, following a number of consultations, the campaign gained the backing of Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, who has recorded misogyny hate crime as a key policy in the ‘The Greater Manchester Strategy to Tackle Violence Against Women and Girls’.
“We are absolutely thrilled that women have been listened to, and that misogynistic crimes will be recorded.” Jess Bostock said.
“Women from Greater Manchester and The University of Manchester have been campaigning around these issues for years [as] recording misogynistic hate crimes is a simple, yet necessary, step to better understand and map women’s experiences and ultimately to tackle misogyny and male violence against women.
“By mapping every woman’s story or report of a hate incident, we can pre-empt patterns of abuse and redistribute funding to vital community services.
“Recording where men are committing violence against women is just the start and there is so much more to be done.”
Hundreds of Citizens leaders from across five cities met with the @Law_Commission throughout 2019, sharing stories of everyday harassment and violence. These stories directly impacted the Commission's recommendation in 2020 to recognise misogyny hate crime legislation. pic.twitter.com/WzQWwVrPNY
Sylvie Pope added: “I chose to study in Manchester because it was the Suffragette City.
“At the beginning of this campaign, I sat in a boardroom across from Mayor Andy Burnham and told him my story of misogyny [and] I’m incredibly proud of the hundreds of women who have since joined our campaign across Manchester and bravely told their stories.
“It’s a relief to hear that we’ve finally been listened to, and that this law change will impact millions of women and girls in our city as well as across the country”.
Urgent appeal issued following serious road traffic collision involving motorcyclist on M60
Emily Sergeant
An urgent appeal has been issued following a serious road traffic collision on the M60.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) are appealing for information and dash-cam footage, as well as urging witnesses to come forward, after a motorcyclist suffered life-threatening injuries during a collision on the M60 this past Saturday (12 July).
Shortly after 1:40pm, police were called a report of a collision involving a motorbike on the anti-clockwise side of the motorway, between junctions 25 and 24.
When patrols responded and arrived on the scene, they found a man in his 50s – believed to be the motorcyclist – with life-threatening injuries, and was subsequently taken to hospital for treatment in an air ambulance, with his family being informed in the process.
An urgent appeal has been issued following a serious road traffic collision involving motorcyclist on the M60 / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
The M60 was closed in one direction, between Bredbury and Denton, following the crash from around 2:30pm onwards, and all traffic was diverted while investigations were ongoing.
GMP’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit is in the process of conducting enquiries, and at this time, it isn’t believed that any other vehicle was involved in this incident.
This is why police are appealing for anyone who may have witnessed the collision, or who has dash-cam footage, to get in on contact.
Police have also thanked the members of the public who stopped by the roadside to give the man initial first aid before emergency services arrived.
Police issue update on Oasis arrests and fence-jumpers
Daisy Jackson
Greater Manchester Police have shared an update on the arrests made at the opening two nights of Oasis Live ’25.
More than 100,000 people have flocked up to Heaton Park on Friday and Saturday evening for the first two of five Oasis reunion shows.
And largely, things have gone without a hitch, with only 15 arrests made so far.
The majority of these are arrests on suspicion of fraud, with five men and a woman in three separate incidents attempting to access the Oasis gig with fake accreditation.
Another man was arrests on suspicion of assaulting a member of security staff.
Two more men were arrested on suspicion of assault – a section 18 inside the Oasis gig at Heaton Park, and another for a section 47 outside.
Police have also said that ‘a number of people’ have attempted to access the gigs without tickets, with a perimeter gate breached on Saturday night, but ‘failed to do so’.
Five drones which breached airspace restrictions were seized on Friday.
A Section 34 Dispersal Order, which gives officers the power to direct individuals to leave a specified area and not return for 48 hours, has been in place for each night of the Oasis concerts so far.
This will be re-assessed before each concert this week, with the Gallagher brothers back at Heaton Park on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.
GMP around Manchester ahead of the Oasis reunion shows. Credit: GMP
Assistant Chief Constable Matt Boyle said: “We have been planning for these events for several months, working with partners and the organisers to make sure everyone can enjoy the concerts safely. To that end, I’m pleased to say that the first two Oasis homecoming events have been a success.
“What has been especially pleasing is how more than 100,000 people have enjoyed these iconic events safely and without trouble.
“We will have a highly visible presence in and around Heaton Park, and across the city, to ensure the next three events continue to pass safely.
“A number of people without tickets attempted to gain entry through a perimeter gate on Saturday night but failed to do so.
Credit: The Manc GroupCredit: Tiktok benwalkerofficialPolice say ‘just 15’ arrests made at Oasis so far
“We continue to support the event organisers and the local authority with their plans preventing any unauthorised access to the arena site.
“While arrests have thankfully been minimal, we have had to take some suspects to custody, including one after an alleged assault on a steward on Saturday night. We will not tolerate any abuse of anyone doing their job.
“On Friday night we also dealt with a number of breaches of airspace restrictions involving drones where our officers seized five drones and spoke to two other pilots.
“We continue to have airspace restrictions in place on the nights of the concerts and anyone found breaching the one-and-a-half-mile restriction zone could face prosecution.”