Hundreds of people gathered this Saturday evening in tribute to a young Londoner murdered by a police officer, despite the ban for health reasons, and tensions erupted with the police strongly criticized.
Prince William's wife Kate had visited the bandstand in Clapham, south London earlier in the day, which has become a place of contemplation for Sarah Everard, 33, who disappeared on March 3, an affair which aroused great emotion in the United Kingdom.
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Clashes occurred between police officers and some participants who had gathered there for a candlelight vigil.
Social media videos and photos show police restraining and handcuffing some participants, images that drew widespread criticism across the political spectrum.
"
The scenes in Clapham tonight are deeply disturbing,
" tweeted opposition Labor Party leader Keir Starmer.
“
I share their anger and nervousness about the way this was handled.
It was not a good method of maintaining order,
”he added.
The organizers of a demonstration in tribute to the young woman, had given up maintaining the event scheduled for this Saturday in London in the face of the refusal of the police because of the anti-coronavirus rules.
"
For lack of constructive engagement on the part of the Metropolitan Police, we cannot in good faith let tonight's event take place,
" the "
Reclaim these streets
"
movement said this Saturday morning in a statement on Twitter
.
The policeman arrested Tuesday evening
The police officer charged with the kidnapping and murder of the young Londoner was brought to justice on Saturday and kept in detention.
A member of the London Police Unit responsible for the protection of diplomatic representations, Wayne Couzens was charged on Friday evening with kidnapping and murder.
During a brief hearing this Saturday morning, a judge kept him in detention.
He is due to be presented to the Court of the Old Bailey in London next Tuesday.
The 48-year-old policeman was arrested on Tuesday evening in Kent in south-eastern England, where he lives and where the victim's body was discovered in a wood on Wednesday, before his formal identification was confirmed on Friday .
Sarah Everard had visited friends in Clapham and was on her way home to Brixton, about a 50-minute walk away, when she disappeared around 9:30 p.m.
Instead of an official tribute, the “
Reclaim these streets
” movement has set itself the goal of raising 320,000 pounds sterling (372,000 euros) for causes in favor of women, corresponding to the fine of 10,000 pounds sterling (11,600 euros). euros) incurred by the organizers multiplied by the number of places where events were to be held.
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The movement seized justice on Friday to challenge the refusal of the London police to let the event take place, to no avail.
Police thanked organizers in a statement for canceling the event, saying it was the "
right thing to do
" due to the pandemic.
It killed more than 125,000 people in the United Kingdom, the hardest hit country in Europe.