London police chief won’t resign over clashes at vigil

998 阅读 0 评论 0 点赞

London’s police commissioner has defended her officers’ actions and said she did not intend to resign amid a backlash over the way police treated some protesters during a vigil for a woman whose suspected murderer is a police officer.

London police faced heavy criticism from the public and politicians on Sunday for their heavy-handed tactics in breaking up the vigil.

The disappearance of Sarah Everard, 33, as she walked home on the evening of March 3, has provoked a huge outpouring of grief and dismay in the UK at the failure of police and wider society to tackle violence against women.

Police had denied permission for a vigil on Saturday evening at London’s Clapham Common, near where Everard was last seen alive, citing regulations aimed at preventing the spread of coronavirus.

But hundreds of people, mostly women, gathered peacefully at the park in defiance of the ban to pay their respects to Everard throughout the day, including Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge.

Late on Saturday, dozens of police officers marched into the crowd to shouts of “shame on you.” Scuffles broke out and officers dragged several women away from the scene.

Home Secretary Priti Patel, the minister in charge of policing, described footage of the incident as “upsetting”. The BBC reported she had ordered an independent inquiry after an initial police report left some questions unanswered.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he was “not satisfied” with police chiefs’ explanation of the events and officers’ conduct must be examined. An image of officers handcuffing a woman as she lay on the floor was widely shared and condemned on social media.

Police were seen scuffling with some women at the event, and one woman was seen pinned to the ground by two officers. Video widely shared on social media showed a woman pulled up from the ground by officers, who then shoved her from the back.

Several women were led away in handcuffs. The force later said four people were arrested for violating public order and coronavirus regulations.

On Sunday, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick, who is the first woman to head the force, said she was “more determined than ever” to lead the organisation.

She said she fully understood the strength of feeling in response to Everard’s case, but stressed that Saturday’s vigil was an unlawful gathering and officers had been put in a “very difficult position”.

Everard’s murder has resonated with women across the country, prompting thousands to share on social media their experiences of violence and sexual assaults perpetrated by men, and vividly describe the daily fear they feel.

A steady flow of quiet mourners visited the site of the vigil on Sunday, placing flowers around a bandstand.

Al Jazeera’s Nadim Baba, reporting from London, said it was a “peaceful gathering”.

“But the emotion was clear, they were denouncing what they see as police brutality, heavy-handed tactics, and the tone-deafness of what happened on Saturday evening,” Baba reported.

Patsy Stevenson, who was pictured pinned to the ground by two officers during Saturday’s clashes, said she was considering whether to challenge the 200-pound ($278) fine she received.

“We were there to remember Sarah, we all felt deeply saddened and still do that it happened, so I brought a candle with me but unfortunately wasn’t even able to light it to put it down because the police turned up and barged their way through,” she told LBC radio.

Police officer Wayne Couzens charged with Everard’s murder appeared in court on Saturday. Police discovered her body on Wednesday in woodland about 50 miles (80 km) southeast of London. The court heard that her body was found in a builder’s refuse bag, and identified using dental records.

伦敦警察局长不会因冲突而辞职

伦敦警察局长为她的警官的行为辩护，并表示她不打算辞职，因为警方在对一名嫌疑凶手是一名警察的妇女进行警惕期间对待一些抗议者的方式遭到了强烈反对。

伦敦警方周日遭到公众和政界人士的严厉批评，因为他们采取了严厉的手法来打破守夜。

33岁的萨拉·埃弗拉德（Sarah Everard）于3月3日晚回家时失踪，在英国引起巨大的悲痛和沮丧，因为警察和更广泛的社会未能解决对妇女的暴力行为。

警方周六晚上拒绝批准在伦敦的克拉珀姆公园（Clapham Common）进行守夜活动，这是埃弗拉德最后一次活着的地方，理由是旨在防止冠状病毒传播的法规。

但是无数人违反了禁令，全天向埃弗拉德致敬，其中大部分是女性，他们在公园里和平集会，其中包括剑桥公爵夫人凯特（Kate）。

周六深夜，数十名警察向人群大喊“对你感到羞耻”。争执爆发，警员将几名妇女拖离现场。

负责治安的内政大臣普里蒂·帕特尔（Priti Patel）将事件的镜头描述为“令人沮丧”。英国广播公司报道说，在最初的警方报告留下了一些未解之谜后，她已下令进行独立调查。

伦敦市长萨迪克·汗（Sadiq Khan）说，他对警察局长对事件的解释“不满意”，必须检查警员的行为。社交媒体上广泛分享并谴责了一名官员将一名躺在地板上的妇女扣上手铐的形象。

警方在事件中看到警察在擦伤一些妇女，另外两名警察则看到一名妇女被钉在地上。在社交媒体上广泛分享的视频显示，一名妇女被警官从地上拉起，然后将其从后推开。

数名妇女被戴上手铐带走。警方随后表示，有四人因违反公共秩序和冠状病毒法规而被捕。

周日，大都会警察局长克雷西达·迪克（Cressida Dick）是第一位领导该部队的妇女，她说她“比以往任何时候都更加坚决”领导该组织。