Sarah Everard vigil: Arrests as protesters march through central London
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Arrests have been made after protesters marched through central London to campaign following the death of Sarah Everard.
Police gave demonstrators an ultimatum to go home immediately or face being arrested as dozens were stopped over breaching coronavirus restrictions.
Hundreds of people gathered in Parliament Square for the demonstration at about 5pm before marching across London.
A large number of protesters blocked off traffic on Westminster Bridge to demonstrate as Reclaim These Streets campaigners chanted and held banners and police officers halted oncoming cars.
The police watchdog has confirmed it is launching two new separate investigations relating to the Sarah Everard case, following referrals from the Metropolitan Police.
One will look into allegations that a Metropolitan Police constable, who was stationed at a cordon in Kent as part of the ongoing search operation, shared an “inappropriate graphic” with colleagues.
The other will examine how Wayne Couzens, the serving Metropolitan Police officer charged with Ms Everard’s kidnap and murder, came to sustain head injuries while in custody.
- Sarah Everard disappearance: What we know so far
- Woman pictured being held on ground by police at Sarah Everard vigil wants to meet Cressida Dick
- Thousands gather around London to mourn Sarah Everard and condemn police handling of vigil
- Sarah Everard: Everything we know about 33-year-old and what happened to her
‘Make harassing women a crime,’ demands Labour’s Harman
Harriet Harman has said she will table amendments to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, to punish those who follow, film and harass women in other ways in the street.
She also wants to amend it to criminalise kerb-crawling - with the punishment including loss of driving licence - and to prevent victims of sexual offences having their previous sexual history read out in court.
The Labour MP, known as the Mother of the House as she is the longest continuously serving woman MP, said politicians must act on the demands to allow women to walk the streets safely - which have emerged following the death of Sarah Everard.
She recalled joining the Reclaim the Nights protests in the 1970s, telling the Commons: “But then women’s demands were not listened to by the men in the corridors of power. Now there are women in government, in the Home Office, in the Cabinet. There are women in all parties in Parliament. We are in these corridors of power so we must use our power to deliver for women.
“We all argued it’d make a difference if we were here as women in Parliament. Now we had better prove it.”
On her amendments, Ms Harman said: “Following a woman on the street, filming her, trying to get her number, not taking no for an answer is harassment. Why should women and girls have to put up with it? Let’s make that a criminal offence.”
Female MPs table ‘reasoned amendment’ to police bill
A string of female MPs, including Labour’s Bell Ribeiro-Addy and the Green Party’s Caroline Lucas, have tabled what they call a “reasoned amendment” to throw out the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill.
Ms Ribeiro-Addy tweeted out to her constituents in Streatham, southwest London, urging them to take action and send her a pre-prepared statement of concern so she and her colleagues can begin opposing the document.
Arrests made in central London after protestors refuse to go home
Police have made arrests as protesters continue to march around central London to campaign after the death of Sarah Everard.
People were given an ultimatum to go home or be arrested as dozens were stopped over breaching coronavirus restrictions.
One female protester told officers she was in her local area and had been going home before she was detained, PA reports, though it is not yet clear how many people were arrested or fined.
Another demonstrator was placed in handcuffs while fellow campaigners shouted “don’t kneel on his neck”.
Police officers could be heard instructing them to leave immediately.
Downing Street: ‘We will do everything we can to ensure our streets are safe’
The government has said that it is taking “immediate steps” to provide further reassurance for women and girls’ safety following the killing of Sarah Everard.
Following a meeting of the criminal justice taskforce on Monday, Downing Street said it was doubling the size of the Safer Streets fund, which provides neighbourhood measures such as better lighting and CCTV, to £45m.
It said ministers were committed to working with police and police and crime commissioners to ensure these measures targeted areas of potential concern for women and girls and were more focussed on preventing sexual violence.
Boris Johnson said in a statement: “We must do everything we can to ensure our streets are safe, and we are bringing in landmark legislation to toughen sentences and put more police on the streets.
“We are also now taking further steps to provide greater reassurance, such as providing better lighting and greater use of CCTV in parks and routes women may take on their walks home.”
He added: “Ultimately, we must drive out violence against women and girls and make every part of the criminal justice system work to better protect and defend them.”
Jess Phillips: Women have been forgotten by this government – and the police bill proves it
Labour MP Jess Phillips has written about the Police, Crime, Courts and Sentencing Bill for Indy Voices in the wake of Sarah Everard’s death.
She shares her views on how she believes the bill has forgotten women and fails to deal with falling rape conviction rates.
Women have been forgotten by this government – and the police bill proves it | Jess Phillips
There is nothing in the Police, Crime, Courts and Sentencing Bill to improve how our courts deal with cases of rape and sexual violence – nothing
Government doubles Safer Streets fund to £45m in wake of Sarah Everard death
Boris Johnson has said the government is committed to doing "everything we can" to make the streets safe for women in the wake of the death of Sarah Everard.
Following a meeting of the government's Crime and Justice Taskforce, chaired by the prime minister, Downing Street said it was taking a series of "immediate steps" to improve security - including doubling the Safer Streets fund to £45m.
Government doubles Safer Streets fund to £45m in wake of Sarah Everard death
‘We must drive out violence against women and girls,’ PM says
MP who served as police officer says Met couldn’t have got vigil ‘more wrong'
An MP who formerly served as a police officer said it is "difficult" to see how the Metropolitan Police could have handled Saturday's vigil for Sarah Everard "more wrong".
Calling for Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick to "consider her position", Wendy Chamberlain said the force's leadership "have let down rank and file officers".
Ms Chamberlain added that she and her Liberal Democrat colleagues would be voting against the renewal of the Coronavirus Act as "the right to protest matters".
That’s the end of our coverage for today. Please join us again tomorrow for more updates as the investigation into Sarah Everard’s death continues.
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