Thousands of people, silent and holding candles, paid tribute today to cities across Ireland in memory of a young woman who was murdered at noon while jogging, at a “landmark moment”, activists say, calling for an end to the violence. against women.
Ashling Murphy was killed in her hometown of Talmor on Wednesday while exercising on a popular river trail. Police say the attack on the 23-year-old teacher was probably accidental and that the perpetrator remains unarrested.
The assassination shocked the country and about 100 rallies were held in honor of Ireland and Northern Ireland, including outside the Dublin parliament, where a minute’s silence was observed at 4.30pm local time, about the same time as Murphy was attacked.
“I get bored every time I hear a young woman being murdered thinking ‘God, is this someone I know?’ “There is an endemic phenomenon worldwide and that is gender-based violence against women,” said Sally Ann McCarthy, a 25-year-old law student holding a placard reading “I want to feel safe.”
“Poor Asling probably ran out thinking, ‘If I go out now, I’ll be back home before it gets dark.’ Every young woman and I are tired of living our lives making all these changes in our behavior just to feel safe. “I should not live like this.”
Citizens laid flowers outside the gates of parliament, as did politicians, including Prime Minister Michael Martin. Murphy was a musician and her friends played traditional Irish music, while the crowd remained silent for an hour.
The head of the National Women’s Council, which organized the central rally, said that anger “undoubtedly” is a milestone in the campaign to end men’s violence against women.
Martin said the government has been working for the past year on a national strategy to tackle domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, the focus of which is zero tolerance for violence against women.
“There is a culture in our society that creates the conditions in which violence against women happens and happens so often,” said Irish Deputy Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, adding that the country was shocked by the killings.
“We as men have a special responsibility to understand the factors that lead to an increase in violent behavior against women and to teach our boys and adolescents what is right and what is wrong.”
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