The British government is calling for an investigation after police clashed with the mourners on a Saturday night vigil that was held in memory of Sarah Everard, a 33-year-old woman who disappeared earlier this month and was allegedly murdered by a police of that same police force. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said on Sunday that she is “more determined” than ever to lead the organization, and said she is not considering resigning.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan and British Interior Secretary Priti Patel called on Sunday for an independent investigation into how the city’s top police force ended its vigil over coronavirus restrictions.
Patel said that “some of the images circulating online about the vigil in Clapham are disturbing” and said he asked the Metropolitan Police for a “full report on what happened” during the vigil.
Patel added that he will ask the police watchdog, Her Majesty’s Police Inspectorate, a government agency that assesses police forces, to examine the matter, according to BBC News.
In a statement, Khan echoed his call, saying that “scenes from policing the vigil were completely unacceptable.” He added that he had spoken to the commissioner and the deputy commissioner at the city hall on Sunday to explain what happened, saying “he was not satisfied with the explanation they gave”.
Khan said he also asked the Police Inspectorate for a full inquiry into what happened and also asked the Independent Police Conduct Office to investigate police officers’ actions during the vigil.
Dick, the first Metropolitan Police commissioner, said he agreed with the need for a “sober review” and defended how police responded to the “really big crowd”, BBC News reported.
Everard, a marketing executive, was last seen on March 3 walking home from a friend’s home in South London. She was found dead a week later and police confirmed that Wayne Couzens, an elite officer in the London Metropolitan Police’s diplomatic protection command, had been charged with kidnapping and murder.
The planned official vigil at Clapham Common – close to where Everard was last seen alive – was canceled on Saturday after a judge ruled “that attending a large meeting could be illegal” due to coronavirus guidelines.
The mourners were encouraged to light candles at home in honor of Everard, and some came to pay their respects during the day at Clapham Common in a tribute to Everard’s life, including Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, who Sky News reported paid an unofficial visit.
But on Saturday night, several hundred people gathered anyway. Women from all walks of life participated in the event transformed into a demonstration as an act of solidarity, demanding protection against male violence.
Crime scene officers encouraged participants to leave and the vast majority of people did so quickly, according to Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Helen Ball.
“Unfortunately, a small minority of people started shouting at the police, pushing and throwing items,” she said.
The vigil led to four arrests that the police said were for breaches of public order and violations of health regulations.
Officers’ tactics were questioned and criticized by activists and lawmakers across the political spectrum after videos and images of women being arrested and forcibly removed have gone viral online.
In reference to the police officer accused of killing Everard, the participants shouted, “Arrest yours!” “Police, go home!”
In a statement on Sunday morning, Ball said officers on the ground “absolutely did not want to be in a position where enforcement action was necessary”, but “were put in this position because of the imperative need to protect people’s safety. .. The pandemic is not over yet and the meetings of people from all over London and beyond are still not safe ”, adding:“ We accept that the actions of our officers have been questioned ”.
Khan said he received “assurances” last week from the Met that the vigil would be “sensitively policed”.
“In my opinion, that was not the case.” Khan said.
Many, including Liberal Democratic party leaders, have asked that Dick resign his post on the conduct of his officers. Dick called it “devilishly difficult policing” and said he did not think that “someone who was not in the operation can really pass on a detailed commentary on what is right and wrong”.
In a video posted on Twitter, Patsy Stevenson, the woman who was immobilized by police, asked the public to change the police narrative and back to what happened to Everard, asking the public to show their support in London’s Parliament Square on Monday.
HANNAH MCKAY / REUTERS
Everard’s death sparked a national outburst and sparked a national debate in Britain about women’s safety and sexual assault.
“I am shocked and horrified by the Met news about Sarah Everard, and I think the whole country will be united in that feeling for their friends, their family, and we will share their shock and their pain,” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said. “Every woman should feel able to walk the streets safely.”