Heated conflicts between the police and the mourners broke out on Saturday night in south London, when a crowd of people challenged the city’s coronavirus blockade order to mourn the alleged murder of Sarah Everard earlier this month.
What started as a peaceful protest at the Clapham Common home became controversial hours after Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, visited the memorial to pay her respects to the 33-year-old marketing executive, who was reportedly killed while walking home in the beginning Of this month.
Participants reportedly started shouting “What a shame!” to the police who tried to interrupt the vigil, which defied a major ban on meetings.
Some in the crowd held signs with messages like “We will not be silenced”, “We live in fear” and “Women’s rights are human rights”, while others waved anti-police slogans. A police officer was charged with the alleged murder of Everard.
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The policemen were severely criticized after images of policemen aggressively “mistreated” and handcuffed bereaved people during the vigil appeared.
The videos showed policemen fighting with the participants as they pushed their way through the crowd. At one point, several policemen grabbed several women and pulled them handcuffed to shout and scream from onlookers, the British Press Association reported.
“Terrible scenes at Clapham Common last night,” tweeted Diane Abbott, a member of Parliament. “Women on a peaceful watch over male violence being violently abused and handcuffed by police.”
Priti Patel, the UK’s interior minister, said she asked the Metropolitan Police for a “full report on what happened”, and some asked police commissioner Cressida Dick to resign, according to an ITV News reporter in London.
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“Clapham Common scenes are unacceptable,” tweeted London Mayor Sadiq Khan. “The police have a responsibility to enforce Covid laws, but from the images I saw, it is clear that the response was sometimes neither appropriate nor proportionate. I am in contact with the commissioner and urgently looking for an explanation.”
Four people were arrested during the vigil.
Scotland Yard defended the officers’ actions, saying they were “placed in a position where enforcement was necessary” because of the threat of the virus, the Evening Standard in London reported.
Assistant police commissioner Met in a statement said the officers faced “a very difficult decision” during the vigil. “Hundreds of people were packed together, representing a very real risk of transmitting Covid-19 easily. The police must act for the safety of people, this is the only responsible thing to do. The pandemic is not over and it is bringing people from all over London and besides, they are still not safe. “
She continued: “We absolutely did not want to be in a position where coercive action was necessary. But we were placed in this position because of the overriding need to protect people’s safety.” She added that the vast majority of participants left after speaking to officials.
Everard was reportedly kidnapped and murdered after leaving a friend’s home in the area on March 3 at around 9 pm. A London police officer was charged with his murder after his remains were found on Friday about 50 miles away in Kent.
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The murder drew international attention and brought awareness of violence against women and the dangers they sometimes face in everyday activities, such as walking on a street at night.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.