Eurydice Dixon memorial vandalised as thousands prepare for park vigils across Australia
Updated
A public memorial for Melbourne comedian Eurydice Dixon, who was killed in inner-city Melbourne last week, has been vandalised.
Police said a number of offensive paint markings were found at the site in Princes Park during routine patrols just before 4:00am.
Floral tributes were not disturbed, but police said a number of items were seized from the scene and the dog squad had been through the area.
Thousands of people are expected to attend vigils in parks across Australia this evening after Ms Dixon's body was found last Wednesday.
Broadmeadows man Jaymes Todd, 19, has been charged with the rape and murder of Ms Dixon,
More than 10,000 people have indicated they will attend a vigil planned at Princes Park on Monday night.
One of the organisers, Megan Bridger-Darling, said the event was about providing a place for the community to come together to show respect, love and solidarity.
"It's a way of saying this is our park, and we feel safe here, this is our soccer pitch … this is our area," Ms Bridger-Darling said.
"And you can't take that away through fear."
Park vigils have also been organised in other capital cities, including Sydney, Adelaide, Perth and Hobart.
Vigils will also be held in the regional Victorian cities of Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Albury-Wodonga and Castlemaine, as well as Devonport and Launceston in Tasmania.
Ms Bridger-Darling said she was moved by people in cities around the country creating their own park vigils.
"That is a beautiful way of showing just how much one person's life can ripple out and echo around the country," she said.
"They're parents worried about their children, they're brothers and sisters worried about their families.
"What has happened has resonated with a lot of people."
Ms Bridger-Darling said the response also reflects wider concerns about violence against women, victim blaming and public safety.
"I think in the last 12 months, with the #MeToo movement and women standing up and saying — OK enough no more — the line has been drawn," she said.
"Unfortunately it's taken this tragedy to have this conversation."
Mayor to discuss safety with police
Debate about gendered violence and security in Melbourne has been front and centre in the days since Ms Dixon's death.
Melbourne's Lord Mayor Sally Capp is meeting with Victoria Police today for a briefing on potential measures to improve safety and security in the city.
Ms Capp, who will join the Princes Park vigil, said last week the council was working on improving lighting in Melbourne as part of a long-term goal to improve safety.
"All cities have issues with safety after dark and I'm just devastated about what's happened this week, and I know working with the relevant agencies, particularly the police, that we'll continue to learn from tragic events like this and build a safer city," she said.
Topics: womens-status, human-rights, death, community-and-society, sexual-offences, law-crime-and-justice, murder-and-manslaughter, crime, melbourne-3000, carlton-north-3054, vic, canberra-2600, launceston-7250, hobart-7000, sydney-2000, adelaide-5000, perth-6000, wodonga-3690, bendigo-3550, ballarat-3350
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