UK Police under fire over crackdown against vigil for murdered woman

Britain’s police came under heavy pressure on Sunday after officers handcuffed mourners at a vigil for a woman who was murdered after setting out to walk home, in a case that has sparked national fury about violence against women.

Officers scuffled with some members of the hundreds-strong crowd that gathered despite coronavirus restrictions for a candlelit tribute late Saturday close to the spot where 33-year-old marketing executive Sarah Everard disappeared on March 3.

Reclaim These Streets condemned the actions of officers “physically manhandling women at a vigil against male violence.”


Social media footage showed police restraining and handcuffing some mourners, leading to an outpouring of criticism from across the political spectrum.

Both Home Secretary Priti Patel and London mayor Sadiq Khan said they had asked for explanations from the Metropolitan police over how the vigil was handled.

And Liberal Democrats leader Ed Davey called for Metropolitan police chief Cressida Dick to resign, having “lost the confidence of millions of women in London”. But the force defended its officers, saying that police "must act for people's safety.”

“Hundreds of people were packed tightly together, posing a very real risk of easily transmitting Covid-19,” said Assistant Commissioner Helen Ball.