RIP Sarah Everard, who went missing from Brixton in March 2021

[ruffneck23]

Starmer’s a cop.

indeed

 

[Puddy_Tat]

an aside - past tense blog (london radical history) have done a post today about some of the 1970s 'reclaim the night' actions and police reaction to them

 

[stethoscope]

Live stream from New Scotland Yard...

 

[ManchesterBeth]

Apologies if this has been posted already.

 

[teqniq]

That's a lot of people.

 

[Ms Ordinary]

That's a lot of people.

Particularly as not nearly so well publicised, and not 15 minutes walk from many peoples front doors.
(I am not there now, but glad a lot of people are!)

 

[Pickman's model]

Apologies if this has been posted already.

Can't do that when dick and her cabal make decisions as they did yesterday

 

[SheilaNaGig]

That's a lot of people.

I think it’s a really significant number of people. Mostly women, from what I can see. Really impressive turn out,

But they’re just entering Parliament Square in large number now, so I expect they’ll be kettled pretty soon.

 

[teqniq]

Arse covering from Patel here:

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Arse covering from Patel here:

lessons learned, draw a line, move on, blah blah, business as usual

 

[Gramsci]

Live stream from New Scotland Yard...

Thanks for the link. Just watched some of it. Woman from BLM drawing links between what happened last night and experience of those involved in BLM last year. Calling for Cressida Dick and Priti Patel to both go to loud cheers. Also pointing out the policing bill up in Parliament tomorrow will restrict right to protest if passed.

Good to see people supporting each others struggles. Rather than rivalry.

 

[Louis MacNeice]

Not that I’m by any way a fan or apologist for the filth but... They were in a no win scenario. If they’d not enforced the laws against mass gathering this time they’d be criticised for enforcing future gatherings by extinction rebellion and BLM and for their past policing of such.

The police in Nottingham would seem to disagree with you.

Cheers - Louis MacNeice

 

[Louis MacNeice]

Chatter of a protest outside Brighton plod station at 4pm, due to their woeful display last night.

Road outside the police station blocked with a good number of protesters.

Cheers - Louis MacNeice

 

[stethoscope]

Arse covering from Patel here:

Can't really hurt a Home Sec for the most part. Create the hostile environment in the first place, preside over reactionary and poorly drafted laws for public gatherings and protest, expect the police to carry it out, and when they enact it badly, EXPRESS YOUR CONCERNS and demand a report/inquiry, or when it goes seriously tits up for you, lean on someone suitably high up such as a commissioner to take the blame, whilst still sitting comfortably. And so it goes.


* Cressida Dick can fuck off too though

 

[bimble]

Might not do much but emailed my local MP cc my Lambeth Labour Cllrs to ask MP to support LD calls for Cressida Dick to resign.

Noticed that Helen Hayes (on the twitter) has been unequivocal in support of Reclaim These Streets, clear that she was attending and then not mincing her words afterwards, which is something.

 

[Gramsci]

Cressida Dick according to Guardian refusing to go and defends police action last night.

If it had been lawful, I'd have been there', says Cressida Dick of vigil

The Met police commissioner has said “none of us would have wanted to see the scenes we saw at yesterday’s event”.
She said she fully understands the strength of feeling from people and why so many wanted to come and pay their respects.
Dick adds that “if it had been lawful, if it had been a vigil - I’d have been there”.
Six hours of yesterday was really calm and peaceful, respectful, with people laying flowers and not gathering, she said.
Unfortunately later on, a really big crowd gathered, and “quite rightly”, police officers saw this as in breach of the Covid regulations and moved to get people to disperse from the unlawful gathering.

Sarah Everard vigils: Cressida Dick says she will not resign – as it happened

Dick ‘not considering position’; investigations ordered by Priti Patel and Sadiq Khan; government adviser says policing ‘from handbook of abusive men’

www.theguardian.com

 

[Gramsci]

So is Cressida Dick going to do anything about the member of the royalty who went?

 

[Gramsci]

I find it disingenuous for head of the Met to argue "none of us wanted to see the scenes we saw at yesterday's events"

Using the "we" is a way of displacing the responsibility she has as head of the Met away from her.

She is not a member of the public. She is a top person in the UK police.

 

[SpookyFrank]

So is Cressida Dick going to do anything about the member of the royalty who went?

Probably mistake her for Meghan Markle and have her shot.

 

[Gramsci]

Noticed that Helen Hayes (on the twitter) has been unequivocal in support of Reclaim These Streets, clear that she was attending and then not mincing her words afterwards, which is something.

She has been a good MP. This tweet shows the Met had been urged to work with organisers by some London politicians. Really Met leadership have no excuses for what happened last night.

 

[Pickman's model]

I find it disingenuous for head of the Met to argue "none of us wanted to see the scenes we saw at yesterday's events"

Using the "we" is a way of displacing the responsibility she has as head of the Met away from her.

She is not a member of the public. She is a top person in the UK police.

I am sure that given the sensitivity of the vigil yesterday a very senior officer authorised or ordered what happened

 

[SheilaNaGig]

Thanks for the link. Just watched some of it. Woman from BLM drawing links between what happened last night and experience of those involved in BLM last year. Calling for Cressida Dick and Priti Patel to both go to loud cheers. Also pointing out the policing bill up in Parliament tomorrow will restrict right to protest if passed.

Good to see people supporting each others struggles. Rather than rivalry.

This is why it felt good for a Black brother to raise the chant for “no justice no peace” where I was standing last night at the Clapham bandstand.

 

[existentialist]

I am sure that given the sensitivity of the vigil yesterday a very senior officer authorised or ordered what happened

Yes, I am sure it came from the very top. Along with something about "sending a strong message", or similarly weaselly-worded plausible deniables.

 

[kenny g]

So is Cressida Dick going to do anything about the member of the royalty who went?

I am sure the position will that that was during the more fragrant times of the event.

 

[editor]

 

[Gramsci]

Statement from Lambeth Labour ( Clapham Common is in Lambeth where the vigil took place)

The statement refers several times to the leadership of the Met. Been following this and its looking like local Lambeth police were over ruled by Cressida Dick. Disappointing that Lambeth Labour are not calling for resignation. But for Lambeth Labour leadership ( run by right of party) this is strongly worded statement.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

sadiq khan appears not to be impressed

from tweeter (includes link to text version)

 

[Gramsci]

One banner says:

Police abuse the powers they have.
Police don't keep us safe.
Defund the Police.

Another link with the BLM protests last year.

Thought that banner made good point.

 

[Gromit]

The police in Nottingham would seem to disagree with you.

Cheers - Louis MacNeice

Yeah. One of the reasons I changed my mind. (See later post).

 

[Gramsci]

Sisters Uncut: Feministo

We are Sisters Uncut. As women and gender-variant people who live under the threat of domestic violence, we fight alongside all those who experience domestic, sexual, gendered, and state violence in their daily lives. We are fighting for our right to live in safety. We are fighting for our...

www.sistersuncut.org

They have been involved in the vigil yesterday and demo today.

The list of demands on the website make a lot of sense. Proper funding of services, public housing, decent benefits, opposing anti immigration rules etc