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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
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Lucy Campbell

Met police criticised for 'deeply disturbing' handling of Clapham Common vigil - as it happened

Summary

Remembrance vigil at the Clapham Common bandstand for Sarah Everard.
Remembrance vigil at the Clapham Common bandstand for Sarah Everard. Photograph: Guy Bell/REX/Shutterstock
  • Priti Patel has demanded an explanation from the Metropolitan Police following “upsetting” scenes from its policing of a gathering on Clapham Common. The Met commissioner Dame Cressida Dick is facing calls to resign after the Met came under intense criticism for its handling of the peaceful vigil, where hundreds of people throughout the day had visited the bandstand to lay flowers, candles and leave messages in memory of Sarah Everard. Scuffles broke out as the police tried to disperse the gathering around 6.30pm, with officers accused of “manhandling and grabbing” members of the crowd, several of whom they arrested. It has prompted a chorus of condemnation from MPs. The London mayor Sadiq Khan slammed the policing as “neither appropriate nor proportionate”. He said he was “in contact” with Dick, and was “urgently seeking an explanation”.
  • Other vigils went ahead in towns and cities the country, from Bristol and Nottingham, to Glasgow and Bournemouth. Mourners gathered, in a socially distanced manner, to pay their respects, laying flowers, lighting candles, tying ribbons and leaving homemade placards in memory of Sarah. Despite lockdown restrictions and some police presence, there was no police intervention at those gatherings.
  • Candles were lit on doorsteps and in windows across the country in tribute to Sarah. From the doorstep of Number 10 to the homes of celebrities and activists, the 33-year-old was remembered this evening. The simple act of lighting a candle had been promoted by the Reclaim These Streets group after in-person vigils in honour of Sarah were cancelled amid coronavirus restrictions.

Thank you so much for joining us here this evening, at the end of what’s been an incredibly difficult week for so many of us.

I would just like to add that my thoughts continue to be with Sarah Everard’s loved ones at this terrible time. May she rest in peace.

Updated

Here are some more images from the vigil at Clapham Common this evening, for which the Metropolitan Police are under fire.

Police detain a woman as people gather at the memorial.
Police detain a woman as people gather at the memorial. Photograph: Hannah McKay/Reuters
A police officer confronts a protester clashes as people gathered at the bandstand.
A police officer confronts a protester clashes as people gathered at the bandstand. Photograph: Hannah McKay/Reuters
Police clash during the gathering at the Clapham Common bandstand.
Police clash during the gathering at the Clapham Common bandstand. Photograph: Hannah McKay/Reuters
Police clashed as they moved to disperse the crowd that had gathered to pay tribute to Sarah Everard.
Police clashed as they moved to disperse the crowd that had gathered to pay tribute to Sarah Everard. Photograph: Hannah McKay/Reuters

From Caroline Nokes

From Labour’s shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth

Conservative MP Steve Baker, a prominent campaigner from the backbenches for a faster loosening of coronavirus restrictions, described events in Clapham as “unspeakable scenes”.

Labour’s George Freeman echoed aspects of the sentiment, calling the Met’s handling of the event a “terrible lockdown 2021 misjudgement”.

Ever more MPs are weighing in on the heavy-handed Met policing of the Clapham Common gathering in tribute to Sarah Everard.

From shadow justice secretary David Lammy

From shadow women and equalities secretary Marsha de Cordova

From Taiwo Owatemi

From Christine Jardine

From Fleur Anderson

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has called for Met commissioner Dame Cressida Dick to “consider” her leadership of the force. In a letter to the commissioner, he wrote:

The scenes this evening of the policing of the Clapham Common vigil in memory of Sarah Everard are utterly disgraceful and shame the Metropolitan Police.

The vigil this evening was a peaceful one brought together in the most horrific of circumstances.

Across the country, countless women have told their own painful stories ... Your officers should have been standing in solidarity with those on Clapham Common tonight not being ordered to disrupt this display of grief and peaceful protest.

This was a complete abject tactical and moral failure on the part of the Police.

We therefore call on you to consider your leadership of the service and whether you can continue to have the confidence of the millions of women in London that you have a duty to safeguard and protect.

We should add that the Met has yet to comment on the events.

Updated

From Labour’s Jess Phillips

Priti Patel demands Met explain what happened at Clapham vigil

The Metropolitan Police has faced intense criticism for its handling of a London vigil in memory of Sarah Everard, with officers accused of “grabbing and manhandling” women during clashes with the crowd.

While the vigil in Clapham, south London, was largely peaceful, scuffles broke out at the front of a crowd of hundreds as police surrounded a bandstand covered in floral tributes to the 33-year-old.

At one stage, male officers could be seen grabbing hold of several women before leading them away in handcuffs, to shouts and screams from onlookers. In response, the crowd chanted “shame on you”, while during another confrontation a distressed woman could be heard telling officers “you’re supposed to protect us”.

The clashes prompted a chorus of criticism from MPs. The home secretary Priti Patel has said she has asked the Metropolitan Police for a “full report” on what happened after the “upsetting” footage circulated online.

The London mayor, Sadiq Khan, slammed the police handling of the gathering as “neither appropriate nor proportionate”. He said he was “in contact” with Met commissioner Dame Cressida Dick, and was “urgently seeking an explanation”.

While the Clapham clashes took place, as we’ve reported here many other peaceful vigils were held around the country in locations including Glasgow, Nottingham, Birmingham and Bristol - and despite warnings over lockdown, police did not intervene.

Updated

Megan, 43, is another reader who attended the unofficial vigil for Sarah Everard in Bristol. She said there were only four police officers present, who didn’t intervene at all.

It was peaceful and respectful.

Hundreds of people turned up to a vigil in Bristol after the official event was cancelled.
Hundreds of people turned up to a vigil in Bristol after the official event was cancelled. Photograph: Megan/Guardian Community

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria hold a candle outside their home in north London during a doorstep vigil for Sarah Everard.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria hold a candle outside their home in north London during a doorstep vigil for Sarah Everard. Photograph: Victoria Jones/PA

Nick Thomas-Symonds, the shadow home secretary, has called the scenes from Clapham this evening “deeply distressing” and said he shared “the anger there is about the policing of this”.

Updated

A candle lit by the prime minister Boris Johnson and his fiancee Carrie Symonds placed on the doorstep of Number 10 Downing Street in a doorstep vigil for Sarah Everard.
A candle lit by the prime minister Boris Johnson and his fiancee Carrie Symonds placed on the doorstep of Number 10 Downing Street in a doorstep vigil for Sarah Everard. Photograph: Aaron Chown/PA

This is from the Labour MP Yvette Cooper

From the Guardian’s Lexy Topping

Here are some more images from earlier this evening in Nottingham city centre, where people gathered to leave candles, flowers and placards next to a makeshift altar in tribute to Sarah Everard.

A female police officer lights a candle next to a makeshift memorial during a vigil for Sarah Everard on Market Square.
A female police officer lights a candle next to a makeshift memorial during a vigil for Sarah Everard on Market Square. Photograph: Nathan Stirk/Getty Images
A mourner lights a candle during a vigil for Sarah Everard.
A mourner lights a candle during a vigil for Sarah Everard. Photograph: Molly Darlington/Reuters
Mourners write messages next to a makeshift altar during a vigil for Sarah Everard.
Mourners write messages next to a makeshift altar during a vigil for Sarah Everard. Photograph: Molly Darlington/Reuters

People gather in Bournemouth after the official Reclaim These Streets vigil for Sarah Everard was cancelled.
People gathered on Saturday afternoon in Bournemouth after the official Reclaim These Streets vigil for Sarah Everard was cancelled. Photograph: Kieran Cleeves/PA

Another reader, Aeshah, 22, said a few hundred people attended a vigil at College Green in Bristol, after the official event was cancelled. She said:

I think the fact that people still turned up speaks volumes about the emotion and sentiment that this story has inspired. The emotion in the air was palpable. It would have been hard to be there and not be moved to tears.

It feels like we’ve spent the entire week reading and listening to individual women’s stories and it felt so important to be able to grieve and show our respects.

People taking part in a n unofficial vigil at College Green in Bristol.
People taking part in a n unofficial vigil at College Green in Bristol. Photograph: Aeshah/Guardian Community

Richard E Grant, Sheridan Smith and Rebecca Ferguson are among the famous faces who have taken part in a virtual vigil to honour Sarah Everard.

Actor Grant shared a video on Twitter of him observing the silence while holding a lit candle.

A clip of a candle was also shared by actor Smith.

Actor Katy Brand also shared a video of a lit candle.

The Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has weighed in on the Met’s “deeply disturbing” handling of the gathering in Clapham Common

Updated

A small vigil was held in Brussels in honour of Sarah Everard, the PA news agency reports.

Entrepreneur Rozina Spinnoy, who moved to Belgium almost 20 years ago, attended the event with her son and a few others, holding posters proclaiming “reclaim these streets”. She said:

Today’s Brussels vigil was important for me. Showing all that regardless of our backgrounds, colour, race or religion, as women we unite - we share the grief together over Sarah Everard and all women.

Internationally and cross border to show solidarity. We won’t be silenced.

A reminder that Reclaim These Streets is calling on people across the country to stand on their doorstep holding a candle or light at 9.30pm, the time when Sarah Everard is thought to have gone missing as she walked home last week.

Readers have been in touch with us to share how they are marking the vigil.

Marie, 26, went to Clapham Common around 4pm today to leave flowers at the bandstand, where a crowd of people had already gathered. She said:

It was really moving, I felt quite choked up and you could see others were feeling similarly. It was quite quiet and still, and the mass of colour from the flowers was really striking. As a woman, seeing what we all fear whenever we’re out alone come true has been terrifying. I’m adding my voice to the hope this can be a tipping point and to honour Sarah and her family.

Also at the bandstand was Hannah, 26, who said:

I just wanted to go to pay my respects to her. It felt very moving and very powerful to look around and see lots of other people who, like me, live locally and have been afraid and sad since she went missing.

A minute’s silence was observed in memory of Sarah Everard at the bandstand, Clapham common
A minute’s silence was observed in memory of Sarah Everard at the bandstand, Clapham common. Photograph: Hannah/Guardian Community

Natalie, a doctor in Devon, has lit candles in her window in memory of Sarah. She said:

Women across the country have been heartbroken by the disturbing developments surrounding Sarah Everard, a bright young woman who should have been able to walk home. Her alleged murder has sadly lent validation to the unconscious safety routines that many women deploy in order to avoid harm. However, the onus on behaviour change should not be on women. It should never have been on women.

Candles in a window in Devon in memory of Sarah Everard.
Candles in a window in Devon in memory of Sarah Everard. Photograph: Natalie/Guardian Community

In Sheffield, Sarah-Louise, 39, will be lighting a candle for Sarah on her doorstep at 9.30pm tonight and she also felt it was important to “create change for women.” She said:

I hadn’t realised that I live in fear each day and have done since I was about 12 years old. I just thought this was normal and it was up to me to protect myself. To text my partner which route I was taking home, to not wear headphones after dark. I have a seven-year-old daughter and I don’t want her to live in fear.

Updated

These are from my colleague Juliette Garside who was in Clapham earlier this evening.

More uplifting scenes from Glasgow, where ribbons and messages of solidarity have been tied on the gates of Queens Park and small vigils were held in four locations around the city.

As we’ve been reporting, tussles broke out between Metropolitan police officers and some of the crowd at a vigil for Sarah Everard in Clapham, London. Footage shows officers tussling with and arresting women stood within the bandstand on Clapham Common before leading them away, to screaming and shouting from onlookers.

As hundreds of people defied police requests to gather to mourn for Sarah Everard at Clapham Common on Saturday evening, the Metropolitan police has drawn sharp criticism for its handling of the gathering.

An official vigil was cancelled - as were others across the UK - due to coronavirus restrictions, but hundreds of people, including the Duchess of Cambridge, visited the common throughout the day to lay flowers and pay their respects to Sarah.

Later in the evening, tensions rose and scuffles broke out as police walked onto the bandstand at around 6.30pm and tried to clear the area, display a large deal of force as they urged people to go home.

Emotions ran high and some clashes broke out amid heavy-handed police attempts to disperse the crowd. Officers surrounded the bandstand, where people have laid a sea of flowers, cards and messages, and members of the crowd could be heard shouting “shame on you”.

Videos posted online showed officers grabbing women standing within the bandstand before leading them away, to screaming and shouting from onlookers.

Campaign group Sisters Uncut, which had representatives present at the demonstration, claimed that “male police officers waited for the sun to set before they started grabbing and manhandling women in the crowd”.

The Met has been criticised for its policing of the gathering by several MPs, including Labour’s Sarah Owen who described it as “heartbreaking and maddening to watch”.

From The Times’s Emma Yeomans

From Sirin Kale

From Guido Fawkes’s Christian Calgie

By 8.30pm most of the area had been cleared and police had left the common.

Updated

Here are some more images from earlier this evening at the vigil at Clapham Common, before the Met clashed with some members of the crowd.

A woman cries as she lays flowers in tribute to Sarah Everard at the bandstand on Clapham Common.
A woman cries as she lays flowers in tribute to Sarah Everard at the bandstand on Clapham Common. Photograph: Leon Neal/Getty Images
People gather to leave flowers and tributes for Sarah Everard at a vigil at the bandstand, despite it being banned by the police under Covid regulations.
People gather to leave flowers and tributes for Sarah Everard at a vigil at the bandstand, despite it being banned by the police under Covid regulations. Photograph: Guy Bell/REX/Shutterstock
Mourners facing police officers at a memorial in Clapham.
Mourners facing police officers at a memorial in Clapham. Photograph: Dylan Martinez/Reuters
Vigils are being held across the UK in memory of Sarah Everard.
Vigils are being held across the UK in memory of Sarah Everard. Photograph: Leon Neal/Getty Images
Police officers form a cordon as people gather at the bandstand on Clapham Common and turn on their phone torches.
Police officers form a cordon as people gather at the bandstand on Clapham Common and turn on their phone torches. Photograph: Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images

Updated

More than 100 people defied a police request to stay away from a Birmingham city centre vigil to remember Sarah Everard, PA Media reports.

Event organisers had called off the gathering earlier in the day following discussions with West Midlands Police and invited people to partake in online and doorstep vigils instead.

The force had warned those still intending to show up that “current Covid-19 regulations do not permit large gatherings”.

However, mourners still attended in person to pay tribute to Sarah. The hour-long vigil, which was addressed by several speakers and included a minute’s silence for Sarah, passed off without incident and with no obvious sign of uniformed police.

Attendees lit candles and laid them at the foot of a tree in Victoria Square, to which signs had been fixed reading “I am Sarah Everard”.

Updated

More female MPs have strongly criticised the Met’s handling of the vigil in Clapham Common.

Liberal Democrat Wera Hobhouse tweeted:

Is this really 21st century Britain? What is our police doing? Whatever has happened to policing for the community on behalf of the community?”

And Labour’s Sarah Owen wrote:

This is heartbreaking and maddening to watch. No one can see these scenes and think that this has been handled anything but badly by @metpoliceuk. It could and should have been so different. #ReclaimTheseStreets”

Tussles broke out between Metropolitan Police officers and some of the crowd by the bandstand in Clapham Common.

One video posted online showed officers grabbing women stood within the bandstand in Clapham Common before leading them away, to screaming and shouting from onlookers.

Campaign group Sisters Uncut, which had representatives present at the demonstration, tweeted claiming that “male police officers waited for the sun to set before they started grabbing and manhandling women in the crowd”.

A woman is arrested at a vigil in memory of murdered Sarah Everard in Clapham, south London.
A woman is arrested at a vigil in memory of murdered Sarah Everard in Clapham, south London. Photograph: James Veysey/REX/Shutterstock

After the clashes in Clapham, Charlotte Nichols, the shadow minister for women and equalities, tweeted that this could have been avoided had the covid-secure event been allowed to go ahead:

‘She was just walking home’ written on the ground in chalk during a vigil held in Cardiff in memory of Sarah Everard.
‘She was just walking home’ written on the ground in chalk during a vigil held in Cardiff in memory of Sarah Everard. Photograph: Polly Thomas/Getty Images

Police have said the gathering at Clapham Common is “unsafe”, and urged people to go home.

A tweet from the Lambeth police account said:

Streatham MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy tweeted footage of clashes at the bandstand and said this could have been avoided if the socially distanced vigil had been able to go ahead.

Updated

While there are women, and men, of all ages in George Square, Glasgow, this evening, it is noticeable how many young women have come along.

“Even in the past few days, we’ve seen the boys and men we know changing,” says Jane Maxwell, 21, who has come with friends from her girls’ group at Royston Youth Action.

They started off being ignorant, ‘why are you posting that?’, and saying ‘not all men’, but then you explain that you never know which men are going to be the problem. Now you see men asking women on Twitter what they can do to make them feel safe.

“If you’re a good man, you shouldn’t be offended by this,” says her friend Heather Donald, 17.

This is showing solidarity. We are a group that are pushing aside and brought down by so many things, so many stigmas. I’ve been in situations like this in my past and it’s so hard to see someone who never made it out of that scary situation.

“It’s always been a thing that plays on your mind as a woman. Even if you’ve never been assaulted or harassed you’re still always scared because you know it happens,” explains Toni Wilson, 20.

Just showing up here and showing you stand with your fellow women is a stance of power. Even just taking a second to tie a ribbon, seeing all these ribbons is going to show that women are strong, they will stand up for what they believe in. And trying to assert power over women just because you think you can, whether you’re a young man or a grown man, it’s not okay.

It’s really important that we show it happens to all types of women, it doesn’t matter what you look like or where you come from, it’s important that we all stand together in this.

This is from the Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer

This is from Guardian journalist Iman Amrani in Derry

Nottingham city centre fell silent at 6pm as many headed to a vigil held in memory of Sarah Everard, Nottinghamshire Live reports.

At least 100 mourners gathered around the Brian Clough statue to leave candles and flowers in tribute to the 33-year-old, who disappeared as she walked home in south London last week.

People attend a vigil in Nottingham in memory of Sarah Everard.
People attend a vigil in Nottingham city centre in memory of Sarah Everard. Photograph: Molly Darlington/Reuters
Mourners stand next to a makeshift altar to leave flowers and pay tribute.
Mourners stand next to a makeshift altar to leave flowers and pay tribute. Photograph: Molly Darlington/Reuters

The Nottingham vigil went ahead despite cancellations of similar events across the country due to Covid restrictions. It was co-ordinated by Nottingham Women for Change and Nottingham People’s Assembly, who said “extensive preparations” were made to ensure the event was safe, socially distanced, and effectively managed.

Two police officers were spotted among the crowd as they watched proceedings unfold but did not intervene while Nottinghamshire Live was at the vigil.

A woman holding a placard for Sarah Everard reading ‘She was walking home’.
A woman holding a placard for Sarah Everard reading ‘She was walking home’. Photograph: Mike Egerton/PA

Updated

My colleague Libby Brooks has been at the vigil in Glasgow, talking to women about what brought them out to George Square this evening. She writes:

Melanie McKinley, 28, a student paramedic said Sarah’s death struck a chord with most of the women she knows.

I don’t know why. When we got here, you just felt the emotion. There’s been an online outcry, but here you can see it on a local scale and it feels more real. You can’t ignore it.

Standing with McKinley in front of the tributes is her friend Lauren Orsi, also 28 and a retail manager, who said:

Even though I know this doesn’t actually change the situation, it feels like something you can do to support your fellow women. It’s been a rough week for women and you realise we have so, so far to come. Sometimes you can sit back and think women have come a long way, but there’s so far to go.

Misara and her friend Rana, both 19, were passing the square when they realised that tributes were being left for Everard. Misara said:

I wanted to come and pay my respects. I know what it’s like to feel unsafe with male attention.

“For me it’s frustration,” says Rana.

This has been happening for a long time. Why are we talking about it now, why not 10 or 15 years ago, why not when it happened to other women? It’s not acceptable.

Here is the clip of the Duchess of Cambridge as she visited Clapham Common earlier, looking at notes and flowers left in tribute to Sarah Everard at the bandstand.

The home secretary Priti Patel said that almost 20,000 people have responded in just 24 hours to a consultation on how the government could tackle violence against women and girls.

Patel added that she will also be lighting a candle tonight in memory of Sarah Everard.

The call for evidence was reopened on 12 March to reflect the conversation about women’s safety in light of Everard’s death. Its aim is to further collect views from those with lived experience of, or views on, crimes considered as violence against women and girls. You can make a submission here.

Sandi Toksvig opened the online vigil for Sarah Everard, expressing her “profound sorrow and rage”.

Speaking at Feminists of London’s virtual event, which is being live-streamed on YouTube, the television presenter said:

The truth is of course I don’t want to be here at all, I do not want to attend a vigil for a bright young woman in her early 30s, a woman with her life before her.

I do not want to be here talking about the memory of Sarah. I have two daughters about the same age as Sarah. Tomorrow is Mother’s Day. Never have I felt more passionately concerned about my kids.

It surely cannot be asking too much to want them simply to be free, to walk where they like, when they like.

I am filled in equal measure with profound sorrow and rage, and I know there are many who share this rage and I think it is entirely justifiable. But I also know that it will harm rather than help us if we don’t try and direct that anger to good purpose.

She added:

Tonight we reflect that when the vigil is over, the work begins.

This is from Daisy Cooper, the Lib Dem MP for St Albans

How are you marking the vigil this evening? If you’re planning on commemorating Sarah Everard with a doorstep vigil or other event, we’d like to hear from you. You can share pictures and stories via our form. You can also get in touch via WhatsApp by clicking here or adding the contact +44(0)7867825056.

Updated

Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon is among many to share the moving image of a candle alight in their homes, in memory of Sarah Everard.

Boris Johnson has said he will light a candle for Sarah Everard tonight with his fiancee Carrie Symonds, and that he “cannot imagine how unbearable” the pain and grief is for her family and friends.

The prime minister, who is under concerted pressure to take action to make the UK safer for women in the wake of Everard’s death, added:

This is from the Labour MP for Streatham, Bell Ribeiro-Addy

Updated

The Duchess of Cambridge visited the memorial on Clapham Common this afternoon to pay her respects to Sarah Everard and her family.

The duchess visited a bandstand in the south London park where dozens of floral tributes have been placed for Sarah, whose body was formally identified on Friday.

She was seen pausing in front of the sea of tributes, which have grown substantially in the last day.

As well as flowers, the memorial also features signs, with the duchess seen near a sign reading “I am Sarah”.

It is understood Kate also made the visit in part because she remembers what it felt like to walk around London at night before she got married.

The Duchess of Cambridge near the growing sea of floral tributes at the bandstand on Clapham Common.
The Duchess of Cambridge near the growing sea of floral tributes at the bandstand on Clapham Common. Photograph: Sky News

Updated

This is from Guardian writer Sirin Kale on Clapham Common

Updated

In George Square in the city centre of Glasgow, women came alone or with small groups of friends to lay flowers, tie ribbons to the wooden benches beneath the statues and leave messages of solidarity, many in plastic pockets to protect them from the rain.

Those who came wore masks, stood at a careful social distance and left again after lingering for a few minutes to contemplate the scene, as organisers had requested they do to comply with current Covid restrictions.

Jenn Nimmo-Smith, explained that she had organised the events over the space of 24 hours, with two other women from the city who she had not previously known. They met together in person for the first time at George Square on Saturday evening.

Nimmo-Smith said that collecting and reading the messages left by women around Glasgow, many of them describing their own experiences of harassment and assault and the fears that accompanied them, had been “very emotional”. She said that the first ribbon had been left at 8am this morning and that many women had taken the opportunity to attend the four sites as part of their daily walk.

She added that the messages would be collected together and exhibited online “to show what women go through on a daily basis”.

Speaking to male friends over the past few days it has been clear they’ve had no idea what women go through. Reliving these experiences has been traumatic and triggering but we hope that by bringing together women’s voices there can be change.

At three other sites across Glasgow in Queens Park on the city’s south side, Kelvingrove Park in the west end and at the Mary Barbour statue in Govan, there were similar scenes.

Updated

After the Reclaim These Streets vigil was officially cancelled, hundreds of people have visited Clapham Common to lay flowers, adding to the growing floral tribute at the bandstand, and pay their respects to Sarah Everard.

People gather at the bandstand in Clapham Common, London, after the Reclaim These Streets vigil for Sarah Everard was officially cancelled.
People gather at the bandstand in Clapham Common, London, after the Reclaim These Streets vigil for Sarah Everard was officially cancelled. Photograph: Victoria Jones/PA

The crowd chanted:

Sisters united will never be defeated.”

Some held placards reading “we will not be silenced”, and “she was just walking home”.

People pay tribute at the bandstand on Clapham Common in memory of Sarah Everard.
People pay tribute at the bandstand on Clapham Common in memory of Sarah Everard. Photograph: James Veysey/REX/Shutterstock
People comfort one another as they stand in tribute to Sarah Everard.
People comfort one another as they stand in tribute to Sarah Everard. Photograph: Hannah McKay/Reuters
The growing floral tribute at the bandstand in Clapham Common.
The growing floral tribute at the bandstand in Clapham Common. Photograph: Frank Augstein/AP
Among the flowers, a placard reads ‘When will women be safe?’
Among the flowers, a placard reads ‘When will women be safe?’ Photograph: Hannah McKay/Reuters

Updated

With police urging people to stay home and commemorate the life and death of Sarah Everard remotely, organisers have taken their vigils online. Here’s how to remember her from home:

Online vigils

A number of groups are hosting virtual vigils, the largest of which appears to be a collaboration between Reclaim These Streets and Feminists of London. They have organised an event from 6pm, with speakers Sandi Toksvig, the Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy, the Guilty Feminist podcast host Deborah Frances-White, the Women’s Equality party leader Mandu Reid, and Reclaim These Streets organiser Jamie Klingler. Starting at 6pm, it will be live-streamed on Reclaim These Streets’ YouTube channel, and will feature “readings and contributions from the community.”

The Belfast branch of the campaign group Reclaim The Night, which has protested against street violence against women and girls in the UK for more than 40 years, has also organised an online vigil. Attenders are advised to email RTNBelfast@gmail.com for the link to join the event, which also began at 6pm. Edinburgh organisers are also hosting an online vigil.

Flowers and ribbons

Across the UK, mourners have been leaving flowers in memory of Sarah Everard. In London, they have centred on the bandstand at Clapham Common, close to where Everard was last seen, but flowers are also being left at other sites, including at the steps of the old palace site in Crystal Palace.

In Glasgow, organisers have encouraged people to tie ribbons to railings and lamp-posts to remember Everard and protest against violence against women, centring on four designated areas: George Square, the Mary Barbour statue in Govan, Kelvingrove park and Queens park.

Doorstep vigils

Organisers across the UK are also encouraging people to light candles in their windows or doorsteps, with the London Reclaim These Streets group asking people to share a light at 9.30pm, the time Everard is thought to have gone missing. Some groups, such as the Reclaim the Night group in Belfast, are asking participants to share photographs of the lights under the hashtag #ReclaimTheseStreets.

Good evening. Welcome to the live blog, where we’ll be bringing you all the latest updates from the Reclaim These Streets vigils aimed at calling attention to women’s safety issues that are taking place across the UK this evening.

While the London vigil, which had been planned for 6pm on Clapham Common bandstand, near where Sarah Everard was last seen, was cancelled, mourners have still visited and left flowers, including the Duchess of Cambridge, who was seen paying her respects earlier.

Reclaim These Streets hopes that virtual gatherings and at-home vigils will have an even wider impact. It has joined forces with Feminists of London to host a virtual event from 6pm, live-streamed online to the Reclaim These Streets YouTube channel.

The group is also calling on people across the UK to stand on their doorstep holding a candle or light on Saturday night at 9.30pm, the time when Everard is thought to have gone missing.

A vigil planned in Edinburgh has also been switched to an online event, with organisers hosting a stream of online speakers and “doorstep vigil” activities.

In Glasgow, organisers have decided to hold vigils in four locations : George Square, the Mary Barbour statue in Govan, Kelvingrove park and Queens park.

In order to keep in line with current restrictions, they are asking women to tie ribbons or leave messages of solidarity throughout the day and volunteers will be present between 6pm and 8pm to collect them.

In Belfast, Reclaim The Night are hosting an online vigil at 6pm to “remember Sarah and all victims of gender-based violence” and are asking those who cannot attend to light a candle at the same time.

Here is the full story from my colleagues Molly Blackall and Libby Brooks.

Updated

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‘Men in women dominated field’: Woman picked the club, thinking it was just a fun first date. Then he scams her twice
"A creative way to have a free night out"
We Got This Covered
We Got This Covered
Saturday Night Live UK Was Absolutely Filthy-Mouthed, And I Learned This The Hard Way
Live from my couch... it's another lesson in parenting!
Cinemablend
Cinemablend
AI “Fruit Love Island” TikTok account rants after viral videos get mass removed
TikTok has removed viral AI-generated videos from the popular 'Fruit Love Island' series, sparking creator outrage and fan discussions. The account, which amassed millions of followers rapidly, saw numerous high-view videos taken down, reportedly due to mass reporting and being labeled 'AI slop.' This incident highlights platforms' struggles with moderating…
The Times of India
The Times of India
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