The quiet French town of Gray is home to just 5000 residents, but on Sunday saw 10,000 people march through the streets as part of a powerful protest.
The mass congregation was a moving tribute to 29-year-old Alexia Daval, who vanished after going jogging on Sunday, October 28, and was later found dead in woodlands.
According to the BBC, Alexia’s husband had begun to worry after he did not hear from her hours after her run. He contacted police, and Alexia’s body was found in the woods on Monday, far from her jogging path. An autopsy found the bank worker’s cause of death was strangulation.
As the Telegraph reports, thousands of protesters marched on Gray and listened to speeches from Alexia’s husband, Jonathan, and other heartbroken family members.
Alexia’s mother, Isabelle Fouillot, said the march was a powerful symbol of resistance to violence against women.
“With these sporting gestures, you are making Alexia into a strong symbol, one of the freedom for all women to enjoy running and to live,” she explained.
Countless other women jogged through the streets of Paris on Saturday in solidarity.
In an open letter and online petition, over 100 French prominent French women have called on French President Emmanuel Macron to launch an “emergency plan” to address violence against women.
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