Police in London clashed with mourners and protesters on Saturday after more than 1,000 people gathered for a vigil for a 33-year-old woman killed by a male police officer, hours after he appeared in court.
Sarah Everard’s disappearance as she walked home on the evening of March 3 has led to a wave of accounts from women about the dangers of walking streets alone at night, and dismay at the failure of police and wider society to tackle this.
Earlier on Saturday, an impromptu memorial with flowers and candles sprang up around the bandstand on Clapham Common in southwest London, near where Everard was last seen alive.
By late Saturday, about 1,000 people gathered at the site to pay their respects and protest the lack of security women feel when out in public spaces. Some chanted “shame on you” at police who were present.
The woman in the the above two images, and the opening image, is Patsy Stevenson. Speaking to Counterfire, she gives her account here.
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Am a little pressed for time at he moment. So I’ll just post these two links as contributions to the wider debate here without comment or analysis:
The first is about the use of language.
The second, which it seems reasonable to observe is related to the first, concerns the way in which such matters are more widely and generally framed and reported within the context of the current police bill and its chilling effect on any kind of protest.
To emphasise the point being made in the second link (above) there are a couple of interesting links in one of the first twenty five Below The Line comments about the way in which the kind of arguments being utilised in the police bill were used to prevent a talk at a high ranking university.
I’ve skim read both pieces, Dave. Thanks. Both look worthy of a more thorough read as soon as I have the time.
Interesting and insightful links Dave. Thanks for that.