York boycott of nightclubs planned this week
Campaigners from the Big Night In group from York are raising awareness of recent spiking incidents.
Boycotts of nightclubs in York and across the UK are being planned this week following a rise in spiking incidents.
Campaigners are aiming to show solidarity and draw attention to safety on nights out.
In particular, concerns have been raised about spiking through injection.
The Big Night In York group is planning boycotts this Wednesday (27th October). The group told Greatest Hits Radio York:
"We're boycotting all the clubs in York on Wednesday. We know too many people who have been spiked in their time at University in York, and with the recent incidents of spiking through injection it's become a lot harder to ensure safety.
"We want people to feel comfortable and safe on nights out clubs and bars, and we feel by boycotting the clubs this is our way of being heard.
"The response has been overwhelming; we've had great support from people. Over 50 societies have put out statements in support of us, and other organisations have contacted us wanting to help.
"Nightclubs need to be more responsible for people having good safety on nights out. It's a shocking issue that we're having to talk about. People are becoming less and less safe.
"We've been asking for stories and have had replies flooding in; it's shocking the range of venues where it's happened and the treatment from bouncers - whether you've been spiked or not. Leaving people in vulnerable positions is not okay.
"Generally people are having complete memory loss of the night, difficulty speaking and severe illness the next day.
"We think raising awareness is key with this, and we want as many people as possible to understand what is going on at the moment. Even just talking with friends to ask if they've got a story is a good step.
"If you speak to any girl they can say they've felt unsafe on a night out - normally multiple times. The fact that so many people can relate to this and say they've experienced it is shocking; it means something has to change and hopefully will".
The full list of boycotts planned across the UK can be found here.
More details of Big Night In York and anonymised stories that have been shared with them can be found here.
We've contacted North Yorkshire Police for a statement.