Sarah Everard vigil: Priti Patel demands full report after Metropolitan Police’s ‘upsetting’ response
Follow updates as police try to break up gatherings across UK
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Your support makes all the difference.Priti Patel has demanded a full report from the Metropolitan Police over what she described as “upsetting” scenes at a vigil for Sarah Everard.
Hundreds of people gathered at Clapham Common to pay tribute despite police warnings that it was “unsafe” for them to be there due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Footage posted to social media showed officers dragging a row of women away from the bandstand on the common, which has been filled with flowers for Ms Everard. Another photograph captured a young woman being restrained face down on a floor by two police officers.
Members of the crowd could be heard shouting “shame on you” and “you are scum” after the brief clash, while one woman screamed “you’re supposed to protect us”.
The scenes were widely criticised by MPs from all parties, including Labour leader Keir Starmer and Lib Dem leader Ed Davey, who said Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick should consider resigning.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan described the incident as “unacceptable” and said he would be seeking an explanation from the commissioner personally.
A string of MPs, including Labour’s shadow equalities minister Charlotte Nichols, said officers should have “put the resources” into assisting Reclaim These Streets to create a Covid-safe event rather than “stopping any collective show of grief”. Lib Dem MP Wera Hobhouse posted a video of officers handling women, asking: “Is this really 21st century Britain? What is our police doing?”
The Reclaim These Streets group, which had called off its planned vigil because of police opposition, said the government and police had “failed women again, in the most destructive way”.
The group said: “The Metropolitan failed to work with us despite the High Court ruling yesterday that a vigil could potentially go ahead lawfully. In doing so they created a risky and unsafe situation.”
Welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of the Sarah Everard vigil, as a Clapham Common event has been shut down by the Metropolitan Police.
A vigil on Clapham Common - where Sarah Everard Sarah Everard was last seen alive - has been cancelled, organisers have said.
Organisers from Reclaim These Streets, the organisation hosting the vigil, said: “Update: We are sorry to confirm that our Clapham vigil scheduled for tonight is cancelled.”
They added: “Instead, we are fundraising £320,000 for women’s causes: £10K for every proposed fine for the 32 vigils originally scheduled.”
Commander Catherine Roper, the Met’s lead for Community Engagement, said: “I would like to thank the organisers of tonight’s vigil in Clapham Common for cancelling the gathering. Since Sarah’s disappearance, we have shared Londoners anguish, shock and sadness at the truly awful circumstances of her disappearance and death.
“I know that yesterday’s ruling would have been unwelcome news for the organisers and to those who were hoping to join others in tribute to Sarah and to make a stand on violence against women.”
Police officer charged for kidnap and murder of Sarah Everard
Wayne Couzens, a service Metropolitan Police officer, has been charged with the kidnapping and murder of Sarah Everard.
The 48-year-old man from Deal, Kent, was brought before Westminster Magistrates Court this morning.
Ms Everard, a 33-year-old marketing executive who lived in Brixton, South London, went missing while walking home from a friend’s flat on 3 March. She was last seen alive in Clapham Common, London.
Mr Couzens will appear before the Old Bailey on 16 March.
Plans for an alternative vigil are underway
Plans for an alternative vigil are underway as the Metropolitan Police bar the hosting of an in-person event due to public safety.
Reclaim the Streets, the organisation that was hosting the original gathering, is now hosting a door-step vigil, wherein people across the country are encouraged to stand at their doorstep with a candle at 9:30pm.
Activist Gina Martin - who successfully campaigned to make upskirting illegal in 2018 (resulting in the 2019 Voyeurism Act) - has taken to Twitter to encourage others to attend the Covid-19 safe vigil.
Reclaim the Streets raise over £200,000 for women’s causes in memory of Sarah Everard
Reclaim the Streets, who are running an alternative vigil this evening, have raised over £200,000 for women’s causes in memory of Sarah Everard.
Originally, the money raised would go towards supporting people pay police fines should the in-person vigil on Clapham Common have gone ahead, as the Metropolitan Police estimated a £10,000 fine each for each woman organising.
Now, as the force has told the organisation that the event cannot go ahead due to public safety concerns, the money is being distributed to charitable causes supporting women affected by violence.
MP calls the cancelling of in-person vigil “unbelievable”
MP condemns the Metropolitan Police’s decision to ban an in-person vigil tonight on Clapham Common is “unbelievable”.
Munira Wilson, Lib Dem MP for Twickenham has tweeted that the fact “women to take a stand on their personal safety is not allowed” is “unbelievable.
Clapham Common bandstand covered in flowers for Sarah Everard
A large bandstand at Clapham Common, both were Sarah Everard was last seen alive and where the in-person vigil was scheduled to take place, has been covered with flowers in memory of the 33-year-old.
Creating a moving and emotional atmosphere, many people are taking to the South London green space to leave tributes to Ms Everard
Court hears Sarah Everard body was found in bag
The court has heard that the remains of Sarah Everard were found in a bag in a forest.
New information coming from the court hearing of Wayne Couzens, who appeared in person before Westminster Magistrates’ Court, details how the body of Ms Everard was found.
Brighton vigil cancelled
Organisers of a vigil for Sarah Everard in Brighton have cancelled the event, stating that they do not want to pose a risk to attendees safety.
This comes as Reclaim Our Streets - the organisation behind the vigils - encourages people to host and attend doorstep or virtual vigils in like of the risk from the pandemic.
Duchess of Cambridge pays respects at Clapham Common bandstand
The Duchess of Cambridge has been seen paying her respects to Sarah Everard at the Clapham Common bandstand which is now full of flowers.
A video of Kate, wife of Prince William, shows her adding to the collection of moving sentiments that surrounds the bandstand in South East London, where a vigil was planned to take place tonight.
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