Clapham Common
London is not a happy city tonight.
Unnecessary heavy police presence at #SarahEverard vigil.
Tensions are high because #Sarah was allegedly murdered by a metropolitan police officer so you would think they would handle this vigil with some sensitivity. #notallmenbutallwomen pic.twitter.com/ezi3YcHcao
— Ahmed Kaballo (@AhmedKaballo) March 13, 2021
You would think that, wouldn’t you.
A woman is arrested by Metropolitan Police officers at a vigil in memory of Sarah Everard on Clapham Common, London. Photograph by @jackhillphoto pic.twitter.com/qhp8GFibNr
— Alastair Johnstone (@a_lastair) March 13, 2021
I feel sick pic.twitter.com/wCKWzwLyRk
— Elizabeth Sankey (@sankles) March 13, 2021
What a photo #ReclaimTheseStreets #ClaphamCommon #SarahEverard pic.twitter.com/ETOoDIYghs
— Sophie Malby (@sophie_mzy) March 13, 2021
Tense scenes at Clapham Common memorial for Sarah Everard, crowd shouting “shame on you” and “arrest your own” #saraheverard #clapham #claphamcommon pic.twitter.com/V98tZ5CZGi
— Karla Adam (@karlaadam) March 13, 2021
Adding:
Statement from Reclaim These Streets on tonight’s vigil in Clapham pic.twitter.com/9EA20GWAi6
— Reclaim These Streets (@ReclaimTS) March 13, 2021
I can understand police arriving in some numbers to observe such a large public gathering. What I can’t understand though is why the hell did police get pushy? It seems as if they could have remained on the outskirts for the duration, but they pushed in to set up a human wall with vigil goers on both sides of them. Was it purely to assert themselves in the face of some ACAB signs?
It was about COVID restrictions. But people have been pointing out (with photos) other big gatherings that the police haven’t disrupted, so…
And, there are still these dangling reports that the suspect in custody had a female accomplice. I appreciate the limiting of reportorial haste that some media practice. But it’s tortuous waiting for details to catch up with headlines.