Organisers say police were “unwilling to commit to anything”
A planned vigil in memory of Sarah Everard will no longer go ahead after its organisers lost a legal bid to the Metropolitan Police.
Everard, 33, went missing a week last Wednesday after leaving a friend’s home in Clapham, South London.
She was last seen at 9pm, after leaving a friend’s home in Leathwaite Road. It’s understood that she spoke to her partner on the phone after leaving, with the call ending at 9.28pm.
The last known sighting of her came as the result of a doorbell camera in Clapham.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CMSvNfzD1Q2/
The camera showed Everard walking alone along the A205 Poynders Road towards Tulse Hill, just south of Brixton, at approximately 9.30pm.
A 48-year-old serving Metropolitan Police officer has since been charged with her murder and kidnapping. He has also been arrested on a separate charge of indecent exposure at a South London fast food restaurant on February 28th.
A vigil was to be held in her memory this Saturday in the Clapham area, but will no longer go ahead as organisers Reclaim These Streets say they have lost out in a legal battle.
Update: We are sorry to confirm that our Clapham vigil scheduled for tonight is cancelled. Please see the full statement here.
Instead, we are fundraising £320,000 for women's causes: £10K for every proposed fine for the 32 vigils originally scheduled. https://t.co/ohTXXZONeH pic.twitter.com/NZZk3taGcw
— Reclaim These Streets (@ReclaimTS) March 13, 2021
On Friday, the High Court said it would not intervene in the group’s fight for the vigil to go ahead.
Authorities have attempted to clamp down on public protests since the coronavirus pandemic broke out.
In a statement, Reclaim These Streets said they had “repeatedly tried to find a way forward for the event,” adding the Metropolitan Police were “unwilling to commit to anything”.
As a result, organisers say they have no option but to scrap the planned vigil.
“In light of the lack of constructive engagement from the Metropolitan Police, we do not feel that we can in good faith allow tonight’s event to go ahead.”
Similar gatherings in Birmingham and Cardiff will also not go ahead as planned.
The organisers have instead pledged their efforts towards fundraising.
A statement on Twitter read: “Instead, we are fundraising £320,000 for women’s causes: £10K for every proposed fine for the 32 vigils originally scheduled.”
