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Policing and organisation of vigils:Share your experiences
The Home Affairs Committee is seeking evidence on the policing of vigils held over the weekend of 13 and 14 March 2021 following the tragic death of Sarah Everard.
Background information
While some vigils across the country were facilitated smoothly by police and community groups others, such as at Clapham Common and in Brighton, resulted in arrests and in criticism of police and those attending. Concerns raised have included the police’s treatment of women, the limits put on organised gatherings as a result of Covid-19 laws, and the effectiveness of police-community relations when managing organised gatherings.
You can read more about the Committee's inquiry on their website.
How can you help?
The Committee wishes to hear from those who participated in, organised, policed, or were otherwise affected by the vigils about their experiences of these events. The Committee will seek to take evidence about the vigils very soon so that it can understand what happened, why vigils were policed differently in different places, and what lessons can be learned.
If you don't have experience of a vigil but know someone who did, please feel free to pass this email on to them.
How to share your views
Please submit evidence to the Committee as soon as possible and by 11.00 pm on Sunday 21 March.
As the Committee wishes to start this work very quickly, please limit your evidence to the following:
If you attended a vigil this weekend, your experience of the vigil: including how it was organised, Covid-19 precautions, and how it was policed If you have attended or organised a vigil or protest since the current lockdown began in December 2020: your experience of organisation, Covid-19 precautions in the context of PHE guidance and formal restrictions in place when the vigil or protest took place, and policing at those vigils or protests
Please note that:
The Committee recognises the very real, complex and traumatising consequences of abuse and violence against women and girls in public, online, at work and at home. The Committee intends to undertake a wider inquiry into this area, which will provide a chance for anyone to provide their views, reflections and experiences. That inquiry will hold Government to account for its work to tackle Violence Against Women and Girls. More information will be available soon. However, this current, short call for evidence relates exclusively to vigils and organised gatherings as outlined above.
Our address is
UK Parliament, Westminster, London, SW1A 0AA