This unaltered story [1] was originally published on OpenDemocracy.org.
License [2]: Creative Commons 4.0 - Attributions/No Derivities/Int'l.
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‘Her life matters’: How Sabina Nessa’s death united a community in grief and fear

By:   []

Date: 2021-09

As I sat on the train, heading to a place I had never been before, to mourn the loss of a young woman I had never met before, I looked around. I wondered who else looked like they were making the same journey, on a chilly Friday, to a south-east London vigil for murdered schoolteacher Sabina Nessa, to say her name.

A student in a denim jacket came up to me. Like me, she said she felt scared of walking somewhere new alone. We got off the train at Kidbrooke station, near Blackheath, and ended up walking together, joining the stream of mourners. Many held handmade signs, as candles and floral tributes piled up on every surface.

At the centre of Pegler Square, where Sabina Nessa was heading to meet a friend the previous Friday, 17 September, was an image of the 28-year-old in her graduation gown surrounded with fairy lights. They were the kind of decorations you would normally see at an Asian wedding, not a memorial.

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Sabina, a Year One teacher in a local primary school, was on a five-minute walk between leaving her home and meeting a friend in Kidbrooke, south-east London when she went missing. Her body was discovered 24 hours later by a dog walker, hidden under a pile of leaves, just yards from a busy pathway in Cator Park, a popular spot for local families. This week, a 36-year-old man was charged with Sabina’s murder, which he denies.

The killing has left the close-knit, multi-cultural community in shock, but also determined to stand up for Sabina and to take a stand against gendered violence.

“I wanted to show her life matters”

Among the hundreds gathered last Friday was local resident, Huma Sabir, who was at the vigil with her daughter.

“Although I didn’t know her, we go down the same path that Sabina used every day and sometimes I think, maybe I walked past her. The area is so beautiful. Who knew it would take lives like this,” Huma told me.

“We wanted to show that we are with her family in this difficult time. It could have been me or anyone. We are not safe in this area anymore. It is very emotional.”

For 26-year-old Ayesha Masud from Tooting, Sabina’s death hit close to home. “I have cousins who are teachers and looking at the photo of her felt like looking at the photos their mums have on the mantelpiece,” she said. “It felt like nobody was speaking for her so we had to speak for her.”

“The irony was, I was in two minds about [coming] because I didn’t know the area and I was nervous about getting home safely, but people on local Facebook groups were talking about going so we could arrange to go together.”

A book of condolence was opened on Saturday in the nearby OneSpace community centre, near to where Sabina’s body was found, and a walk in her memory has been organised by the community for 1 October.
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