London police were opposed to backlash from the public and politicians on Sunday for their heavy-handed tactics in breaking an outdoor watch for a woman suspected of being a police officer.
The behavior of Sarah Everard, 33, when she walked home on the evening of March 3, has caused great sadness and humiliation in Britain as police and society in general failed to deal with violence against them. women. Police had refused permission for a Saturday night vigil at Clapham Common in London, near where Everard was last seen alive, citing rules aimed at preventing the spread of coronavirus.
But hundreds of people, mostly women, gathered peacefully at the park against the ban to honor Everard during the day, including Kate, Duchess of Cambridge. Late on Saturday dozens of police officers marched into the crowd to shout “shame on you”. Scuffles broke out and officers dragged women away from the scene.
“Last night people were very upset, there was a lot of emotion, completely incomprehensible, and the police, because they are actively independent, have to explain that to the Home Secretary,” the minister said. Victoria Atkins told Sky News Home Secretary Priti Patel, the minister in charge, said photos of the incident were “upset.” The BBC said it had ordered a non-investigative inquiry. independent after your first police report left some questions unanswered.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan also said he was not satisfied with police chiefs’ explanation of the incidents and the conduct of officers needs to be investigated. An image of officers handing a woman while lying on the floor was widely shared and criticized on social media.
The woman, Patsy Stevenson, told LBC radio: “The main point that everyone was trying to get over when all that happened is that women don’t feel safe, that they don’t feeling safe walking down a street and that is the minimum that we should feel the freedom to do. “She said she was fined 200 pounds for breaking COVID rules
Everard’s murder has taken on women across the country, prompting thousands to share their experiences of violence and sexual assaults perpetrated by men, and a clear account of their daily fears. feeling. A steady stream of silent mourners visited the site of the vigil Sunday, laying flowers around a band.
“I feel very angry that they think they have a right to rule how we grieve and how we deal,” Lilith Blackwell, a 24-year-old student, told Reuters at Helen Ball, Metropolitan Police Commissioner, defended the officers’ actions and said they were “very upset”.
“Hundreds of people were packed tightly together, posing a very real risk of a Covid-19 transmission,” she said. A police officer accused of Everard’s murder appeared in court on Saturday. Police found her body Wednesday in a forest about 50 miles (80 km) southeast of London. The court heard her body was found in a builder’s trash bag, and was identified using dental records.
(This story was not edited by Devdiscourse staff and is automatically generated from syndicated feeding.)