Scotland Yard acted correctly at the vigil in London for the murdered Sarah Everard and rightly intervened, because the risk of spreading the corona virus was too great. That is the conclusion of the British inspection after an investigation into the behavior of the police on March 13.
It was said that the communication between the agents was insufficient and that a “more conciliatory response” might have been better.
Unacceptable
The inspector nevertheless called the police action “appropriate and proportionate in challenging circumstances”. The agents would have done their best to disperse the public peacefully. Mayor Khan had called the police action “unacceptable” the same evening and Home Secretary Patel called it worrying.
The inspector now said, “Conviction of the police action within hours of the vigil was not justified.” He felt it showed a “disrespect for officials” and undermined public confidence in the police.
Heavy-handed
Despite the ban, on the evening of March 13, hundreds of people had gathered at an improvised monument to the 33-year-old woman who had been kidnapped and murdered on her way home. The police ended the meeting.
Videos circulating on social networks showed how police officers forcibly led women away. A photo of a woman being pressed with her face to the ground by officers went around the world.
Outrage over the police crackdown sparked new demonstrations against violence against women and the police crackdown at the vigil.
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