To be angry at the frenzy caused by others last night

[BarometerTV]

I think it was utterly disrespectful. We are in lockdown and it was not the right time for a protest. I agree with a quiet, respectful, socially distanced space to grieve - which is what appeared to happen during the day.

You don’t know what you’re talking about. My daughter and her friends were there and said everything was peaceful until the police started wading in and the police were responsible for shoving people together as they surrounded them. One of my daughter’s friends is an itu nurse so she knows all about the fucking pandemic. Funnily enough she realises that violence against women matters too. The police weren’t respectful but no change there.

@marshflamingo

I agree that the police attacking women at a vigil was disgraceful.

I am very angry about their conduct and their complete lack of humility in acknowledging how badly they fucked up.

yes i agree with this

The police were brutal.
The vigil should never have happened, once again certain rules only apply to one side of society.
It is awful for Sarah and her family, it doesn't excuse the gathering.

@motnight - no. Just no. The best way to have a powerful voice is to act respectfully to all people. Including the Everard family. I doubt they would have wanted last nights actions at all.

I’m sorry - but maybe the difference here is that I respect the vast majority of police officers, I respect that a protest was not supposed to be going ahead last night, I respect that we are in lockdown.

The really sad thing about last night’s fiasco was that it was (1) totally avoidable and (2) totally predictable. The Met command dropped the ball big time and they need to acknowledge this as soon as possible.

@burritofan

The original organisers of the vigil made every effort to organise a calm, socially distanced, responsible event. The Met essentially told them to go fuck themselves. Then waded in to the reorganised event and caused all the aggro. This police brutality was entirely the Met’s choice and it was deliberate.

This.

They suggested staggered times and other ways to make it as safe as possible.

The council seemed receptive, the police vetoed all suggestions.

Do you really think that is acceptable?

This horrible murder has scared and angered a lot of people. It's happened to someone who a lot of people can empathise with, in a place where a lot of people live and go about their daily lives. On top of that, the perpetrator may have been someone in a position of authority.

It's very understandable that people want to do something to mark their sadness and anger. I see no reason at all why a peaceful vigil should not have taken place and I think that the police and government have made a major error in trying to prevent it, both legally and physically.

If you can't see why people want to gather (safety) to mourn and protest, then I suggest you examine your own levels of empathy and how sheltered and privileged you are.

@ghostyslovesheets what??? I’ve not said that at all!

@BarometerTV I noticed that you have completely ignored my question so I will ask it again. Did you complain about the BLM protests?

@BarometerTV

If it had been a teacher who was involved, would we be protesting against teachers?

I don't think you understand the motivation behind the vigil that was planned.

@JofraArchersFastestBall - what I saw during the day looked beautiful. And no one was being dispersed. I would imagine at some stage it went from a vigil to a protest.

I agree with you, OP. We’re in lockdown and have been told not to gather in groups outside. Most of us are adhering to this but everyone in this crowd felt that they were exempt simply because they had an emotive reason to want to assemble with others. Covid doesn’t magically skip people who are there for a vigil, so why ignore very clear instructions to stop congregating?

[quote BarometerTV]@motnight - no. Just no. The best way to have a powerful voice is to act respectfully to all people. Including the Everard family. I doubt they would have wanted last nights actions at all.[/quote]
Someone else telling women that to be heard we have to 'be nice'. This is so depressing. My dad is a retired policeman and most of our family friends are current or retired police. They are appalled by the scenes yesterday, particularly as the organisers of the original event made repeated attempts to make the event safe with things like staggered times. They were told no.

the police behaviour sounds similar to what the suffregettes had to put up with.
men handling women.

It's a very muddled picture at present. There are indications some very aggressively anti-police activists were there and treating the gathering more as a protest than a vigil. I saw one picture of a protestor holding a placard saying ACAB, right next to the police cordon. That's taken from the BLM protests, if I understand correctly, and stands for All Cops Are Bastards. Now, given what's happened in the last week, that's hardly surprising and the police should be well enough trained to ignore provocation and concentrate on maintaining public order and preventing/dealing with lawbreaking.

God knows what the poor woman's family and friends are making of all this. It has very little to do with her now. The people who attempted organise the vigils at first have set off a fundraising venture even though they are not a registered charity and haven't actually decided yet where the money will go. There again, nothing to do with Sarah Everard and her family.

@Cabinfever10 - that’s an interesting one. I didn’t think it was right to protest during Covid then, but yes I can see the police reaction was - to take a knee.

Blind respect for the police. How sheltered your life must be. You weren’t there, you have no idea what you’re talking about. My daughter said it was a nice atmosphere until the police waded in. They were clearly looking for an excuse to get stuck in. They didn’t even need to be there.

Funny how all the men celebrating Rangers winning the league and jumping on cars were just watched by the police but a crowd of mainly women and in they go to ‘sort them out’.

[quote BarometerTV]@motnight - no. Just no. The best way to have a powerful voice is to act respectfully to all people. Including the Everard family. I doubt they would have wanted last nights actions at all.[/quote]
Ah yes. Behave, women! Have a voice, but a quiet one in case you annoy anyone!

God knows what the poor woman's family and friends are making of all this. It has very little to do with her now.

Entirely agree with this. I feel for the family who are grieving for their loved one while all this goes on. If it were my daughter who had been brutally murdered and I'd seen slogans such as "I am Sarah" at an event like this, I'd have been offended and devastated. I'd have wanted my daughter to be remembered, not for it to become about a wider political message.

@Cabinfever10 was the difference thought that the BLM protest was permitted - and I thought with reclaim the streets - it would be permitted but at a later date?

The poor family having to deal with this circus . No doubt they will be limited to 15 people at her funeral , how disrespectful to mass together when the family are unable to do this and the poor women is not even buried. How many of these people actually knew the woman whose name they are taking in vain.

There are some very valid issues that have been raised by this case but this was not the way to deal with it. I keep thinking of her mother, today of all days , I can’t even begin to imagine her parents pain.

@LucieStar I agree with you wholeheartedly