Ms Aleena, 35, was attacked in Ilford, east London, at 2.17am. last Sunday. The vigil in her memory began at 2.17pm this afternoon, with roads closed to allow those taking part to walk the 10-minute journey from the scene of the attack to her home. Family members organized the vigil to “walk them home”. Most of those in attendance wore white, with mourners leaving flowers and cards as a tribute to Ms Aleena. Farah Naz, Ms Aleena’s aunt, stopped a few meters from the family home and told the crowd: “She was home, thank you so much for making the walk and keeping her in your hearts, praying for her, keep her safe in this. journey. “At this point now we ask you to go home and thank you very much for being here today because this is our Zara, this is our issue, this is something we all have to change, it must not happen again. Thank you for being here.” One participant said she was “sick of crying” over the deaths of women. Marai Larasi, a member of the Million Women Rise campaign, said: “We’re here to support the family, we’re here to bring her home in spirit, we’re here to celebrate her life and we’re here in utter exhaustion because we’re sick of the vigils, we are tired of crying and we are tired of having to bury women of all ages and stages of life.” Jordan McSweeney, 29, has been charged with Ms Alina’s murder, as well as attempted rape and robbery. He appeared at the Old Bailey on Friday, where he was remanded in custody after not making a statement. Ms Aleena’s aunt Farah Naz said her “independent” and “great” niece “was the joy, the light of our home”. He spoke of the family’s determination to “change something” in honor of the “extrovert”. Ms Naz told reporters: “I don’t think it will be closed, this is just the beginning of the conversation we need to have. “I want to reach out and do something important and take action, because that’s what Zara was all about – we have to make a difference. “I want to talk to the leaders of this country, I want to talk about creating projects right now to prevent violence.”
