RIP Sarah Everard, who went missing from Brixton in March 2021
- Thread starter trashpony
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hiraethified
Here's the Lambeth Liberal Democrats statement regarding the policing of the vigil on Clapham Common this evening.
The events that have taken place tonight on Clapham Common are the result of a failure of leadership within the Metropolitan Police. Responsibility for this must lie at the top and we call on the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Cressida Dick, to resign her position immediately. This is also a decision for the Mayor, Sadiq Khan and the Home Secretary, Priti Patel as they are responsible for the Commissioner.
ReclaimTheseStreets attempted to organise a peaceful, socially distanced vigil. They engaged with the council and the police, but the police refused to approve the vigil, despite the court action ruling that protest was not unlawful. The events of tonight were avoidable, had the police engaged with the organisers.
Policing by consent requires the Met to work with the people and they have failed in this.
The people of Lambeth have been failed by the actions of the Met whose purpose is to protect our freedoms. The sight of women exercising their freedom to gather, mourn and express solidarity being assaulted by police officers is a gross betrayal.
The events that have taken place tonight on Clapham Common are the result of a failure of leadership within the Metropolitan Police. Responsibility for this must lie at the top and we call on the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Cressida Dick, to resign her position immediately. This is also a decision for the Mayor, Sadiq Khan and the Home Secretary, Priti Patel as they are responsible for the Commissioner.
ReclaimTheseStreets attempted to organise a peaceful, socially distanced vigil. They engaged with the council and the police, but the police refused to approve the vigil, despite the court action ruling that protest was not unlawful. The events of tonight were avoidable, had the police engaged with the organisers.
Policing by consent requires the Met to work with the people and they have failed in this.
The people of Lambeth have been failed by the actions of the Met whose purpose is to protect our freedoms. The sight of women exercising their freedom to gather, mourn and express solidarity being assaulted by police officers is a gross betrayal.
Ms Ordinary
randompointlesschemistry
I was there between 7 & 8pm - expecting just to see the end of the vigil.
Definitely felt really unsafe while I was there, police in groups of 20 or so, picking people off the bandstand and surging off with them - and for the record, I felt a helluva lot safer walking home to Brixton than I did anywhere the bandstand.
As I left I saw 5 police vans by the (Clapham Common) Windmill, 4 blue 'Territorial Support' vans parked on the main road, and about another 4 police vans further down Windmill Drive.
I wrote the above before I knew who Territorial Support Group were...
Definitely felt really unsafe while I was there, police in groups of 20 or so, picking people off the bandstand and surging off with them - and for the record, I felt a helluva lot safer walking home to Brixton than I did anywhere the bandstand.
As I left I saw 5 police vans by the (Clapham Common) Windmill, 4 blue 'Territorial Support' vans parked on the main road, and about another 4 police vans further down Windmill Drive.
I wrote the above before I knew who Territorial Support Group were...
Ms Ordinary
randompointlesschemistry
I was alarmed enough by what I'd seen the police doing - groups of 20 suddenly surging through a peaceful group of people - that I took a wide detour through the common to avoid going past them, hence having to cut back past the Windmill.
Really grateful to whoever the orange-jacketed 'observers' were, and to the people filming it properly.
Really grateful to whoever the orange-jacketed 'observers' were, and to the people filming it properly.
Gromit
International Man of Misery
It will be interesting to compare and contrast the media and political responses to this against how the BLM vigils were treated.
For starters BLM were labelled protests rather than vigils but were essentially the same thing.
Will there be hordes of people on LBC queuing up to condemn the protesters for spreading Covid? As there was for BLM.
For starters BLM were labelled protests rather than vigils but were essentially the same thing.
Will there be hordes of people on LBC queuing up to condemn the protesters for spreading Covid? As there was for BLM.
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
Never seen this skull insignia, do you have a picture?
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
tl;dr? We had to destroy the vigil to save it
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
Oh that's a great phrase, the police's purpose is to protect our freedoms.
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girasol
Addicted to handstands!
Absolutely shocked by the police last night. Wait, no, actually I wasn't shocked at all. Because that's what they do. I ended up not going as I had my vaccine that morning, arm hurt too much and I felt tired, I just couldn't face the cold and crowds. I did watch the live feed - I honestly thought it was going to be a quiet vigil but I knew as soon as the police turned up that it was going to turn bad.
I have to thank the police for so clearly illustrating why they can't be trusted - as an institution, because there are good people in the police too. I felt for some of the cops there who genuinely tried to engage, but you could also tell that many of them see people as "other" and "trouble" rather than the people who they are supposed to protect and serve.
I have to thank the police for so clearly illustrating why they can't be trusted - as an institution, because there are good people in the police too. I felt for some of the cops there who genuinely tried to engage, but you could also tell that many of them see people as "other" and "trouble" rather than the people who they are supposed to protect and serve.
bimble
floofy
As a rule i always prefer the fuckup explanation to a more sinister one but this, these pictures, women physically attacked pushed to the ground by policemen for mourning the murder committed by one of them, its just so beyond idiotic i cant do it, can't believe it was just stupidity at play.
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
Allegedly committed. After all he's yet to be convicted.
Boris Sprinkler
Dont be scared
Maybe the risk from this virus is not as great as they proclaim. If they are willing to mix with protesters and potentially infect themselves.
it’s indefensible and is on a par with the police surrounding Derek Chevins house last year. Thin blue line and all that. Stuff is getting really obvious now.
will be interesting to hear the police apologists now. Bootlickers r us.
ElizabethofYork
Old Crone
I totally understand the calls for Cressida Dick to stand down but can't help seeing the irony that yet again a woman is being held accountable for Male violence.
Torpid Scorpion
Basket case
the entire chain of command down to Lambeth should be fired for incompetence along with the tsg leadership. But it won’t happen. Fuck the cops.
Her name was Sarah Everard.
Johnny Vodka
The Abominable Scotsman
I don't know if anyone follows/likes Another Angry Voice on Facebook but he's made another good post on this this morning.
The39thStep
Urban critical thinker
The Met's line that they 'had to intervene for reasons of covid safety' puts them in a very difficult position when they now have to police protests against their ridiculous and ill-thought actions last night. In the face of huge and quite unprecedented condemnation of last night's actions at a vigil, how are they going to justify deescalating such tactics at an actual protest?
Athos
Well-Known Member
There's no irony. She's the head of an organisation that fails women in horrific ways every day (perpetuating the structures that enable male violence); her own identity doesn't make her any less culpable.
Johnny Vodka
The Abominable Scotsman
Yeah, I try not to get too involved in sexism threads these days, but the AAV facebook post I referenced goes on at length about how some women in power don't help ordinary women. I don't want to post the whole thing here, but it includes examples like this.
There's no irony in women being held to account when it's actually deserved.
Nanker Phelge
Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.
I did not go because I felt a bit awkward on my own as a man attending. I wanted to, but it was niggling me all day so I went with the sensible choice.
4pm
Where did you see that?
stethoscope
Well-Known Member
Got a lot of time for Sisters Uncut.
(moments like these I wished I wasn't so far away as I'd be there)
It's not a gotcha question to ask senior police officers if it's them who are completely unthinking and out of control or the people who they command who are, in which case the upper echelons can't control them. Lose/Lose
Thanks. I think I will go down. Did not have a babysitter last night.
Brainaddict
slight system overdrive
It is an overwhelming amount of stupidity, but institutions can sometimes be more stupid than the individuals in them, and that's saying something with the police. I don't see what they would get out of this that they would have aimed for, though open to suggestions.
On what happens next, Dick's career being sunk would be great but I don't think it would create much change in the police. Is anyone putting forward a list of demands to reduce police violence against women?
On the protest side, it would be good if it stopped the Tories curtailing the right to protest even further, but given the lack of effective opposition in parliament atm I don't know if that's realistic.
Fuck off Gromit
