Police criticised for treatment of people at London vigil

The Met Police force has been criticised for how officers treated people at a vigil in London.

It's after the death of Sarah Everard sparked a big debate across the UK about how to stop violence against women.

People at the vigil at Clapham Common said that the Police in London shouldn't have come in to arrest women holding a vigil, and shouldn't have used force to do so.

The Police said officers had to act because the people there were breaking the law and that it was dangerous to have people close together during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Why are people protesting?

Flowers and messages have been laid in Clapham Common

Sarah Everard went missing on 3 March and Wayne Couzens, a serving Met Police officer, has now been charged with her murder.

After the news of Sarah's disappearance, women across the country took to social media to discuss their own experiences and worries about being unsafe.

Thousands of stories were shared of women being followed, harassed, catcalled, and assaulted.

Several peaceful vigils took place around the UK, either in person, or online, on Saturday to remember Sarah but also to protest against the violence women have faced and continue to experience.

The Duchess of Cambridge was one of the several hundred who paid their respects to Ms Everard and her family and laid flowers at a bandstand on Clapham Common.

What happened at the Clapham Common memorial?

There was a lot of anger as police removed people from Clapham Common on Saturday night

The Met Police has been criticised over its handling of the memorial after officers physically restrained and handcuffed women and removed them from crowds on Clapham Common in London on Saturday.

The official memorial had been cancelled earlier on Saturday after organisers, Reclaim These Streets, said police had failed to "constructively engage" on how it could be held in a Covid-secure way.

Reclaim These Streets asked mourners not to go to Clapham Common, asking them instead to light candles and shine other lights on their doorsteps.

But several hundred people still gathered there to pay tribute.

The home secretary Priti Patel, who is in charge of Law enforcement in England and Wales, has commissioned an independent investigation into the force's decisions.

Lots of people have laid flowers to remember Sarah

What happened next?

Protesters lie down in Parliament Square

Thousands gathered in central London on Sunday to protest about violence against women.

Protest group Sisters Uncut held an event outside the Metropolitan Police's headquarters at New Scotland Yard, which it said was to remember Ms Everard and demonstrate against broader "police brutality".

What did the police say?

Hundreds turned on their phone torches at the bandstand in Clapham Common

The Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick has defended the police's actions and said she will not step down from her job.

"Quite rightly, as far as I can see, my team felt that this is now an unlawful gathering which poses a considerable risk to people's health," she said.

"They have to make these really difficult calls and I don't think anybody should be sitting back in an armchair and saying 'well that was done badly' or 'I would have done it differently' without actually understanding what was going through their minds," she said.

What did the Prime Minister say?

People continued to pay their respects on Sunday

In a statement on Sunday night, prime minister Boris Johnson said he was "deeply concerned" by the scenes on Clapham Common and that Dame Cressida had "committed to reviewing how this was handled".

He will chair a meeting of the government's crime and justice taskforce on Monday 15 March to "look at what further action we need to take to protect women and ensure our streets are safe".

"The death of Sarah Everard must unite us in determination to drive out violence against women and girls and make every part of the criminal justice system work to protect and defend them," he added.

The Home Secretary, Priti Patel, says she has commissioned a review into the policing of the Sarah Everard vigil.

She says she is 'listening to women and girls' following criticism of the police's behaviour.

If you are worried about anything you have read, there is lots of support out there for you to get help.

Speak to an adult you trust, like a parent, guardian or a teacher.

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