Police in London drew widespread criticism after a vigilant mourning of a woman who was murdered after she was thrown out for walking home, in a case that created a national uproar about violence against women.
Authorities grapple with some members of the hundreds of forceful crowds who gathered late Saturday night despite a coronovirus ban for a candlelit tribute, where 33-year-old marketing executive Sarah Everard went missing on March 3.
Reclaim These Streets – who initially organized the event in Clahm, South London – condemned the action of the authorities as “physically tormenting women against male violence.”
The social media footage showed the police mourning and stopping some, which led to criticism on the political spectrum.
Both Home Secretary Preeti Patel and London Mayor Sadiq Khan said they had sought an explanation from the Metropolitan Police about how to exercise vigilance.
And Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey called on Metropolitan Police Chief Cressida Dick to resign, for having “lost the trust of millions of women in London”.
A nation in shock
Everard’s murder to go home from a friend’s flat has shaken the nation and has once again come up for discussion about women’s safety.
48-year-old Wayne Cougens, a serving officer in the Metropolitan Police’s elite diplomatic protection unit, appeared in court on Saturday, charged with kidnapping and murder after his arrest at his home in Kent, south England. The body of the victim was discovered in a nearby wood.
The vigil was canceled by the organizers after it was announced by the police due to COVID-19 restrictions, but hundreds of people were under stress as it fell on Saturday night.
Those mourning the police shouted “Shame on you”, an officer running high in the form of a man arrested in connection with the murder is an officer.
After being vigilant, censured police action by pressure groups and politicians, expressing indignation.
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