Woman pinned to the floor by police at Sarah Everard vigil demands demonstrators defy Covid lockdown rules for NEW protest outside parliament tomorrow
- Patsy Stevenson was pictured being held on the ground by police in Clapham
- She had attended the vigil for 33-year-old Sarah Everard in south London
- Ms Stevenson has now called for a follow-up protest in Parliament Square
The woman who was pictured being pinned to the floor by police officers at the vigil for Sarah Everard has called for another protest to take place tomorrow.
Patsy Stevenson, who was pictured being held on the floor by police at the vigil, said she attended the gathering in Clapham Common yesterday in support of women who cannot walk down the street by themselves ‘because of the fear of men’.
A crowd had assembled at the south London spot to remember 33-year-old marketing executive Ms Everard, but clashes broke out as police surrounded a bandstand covered in flowers left in tribute.
Ms Stevenson, who went viral after she was pictured being held on the ground by officers, said she was arrested ‘for standing there, I wasn’t doing anything, they threw me to the floor’.
She told the left-wing blog Counterfire: ‘I’m 5ft2 and I weigh nothing, and several police were on my back trying to arrest me.
‘They arrested me in cuffs, dragged me away, surrounded by like 10 police officers and when we got in the van they said we just need your name and your address and we’ll let you go with a fine.’
When asked what demonstrators should do next, she said ‘bigger protest’.
Ms Stevenson, who is a Physics student at Royal Holloway, University of London, also called for another gathering to take place at 5pm on March 15 outside Parliament Square in London.
Patsy Stevenson, who went viral after she was pictured being held on the ground by officers, said she was arrested ‘for standing there, I wasn’t doing anything, they threw me to the floor’
Ms Stevenson, who is a Physics student at Royal Holloway, University of London, also called for another gathering to take place at 5pm on March 15 outside Parliament Square in London
She created a Twitter profile following her arrest saying: ‘So I’ve just gone viral. I’ve decided to make a twitter again to follow what’s going on. All in solidarity.’
Metropolitan Police officers had grabbed several women, leading them away in handcuffs and the force later said four people were arrested for public order and coronavirus regulation breaches
There has been condemnation of the policing of the vigil, with Home Secretary Priti Patel seeking a full report on events.
She described footage from the vigil as ‘upsetting’, while Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey called on Commissioner Cressida Dick to ‘consider’ her leadership of the force.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said the scenes were ‘unacceptable’, tweeting: ‘The police have a responsibility to enforce Covid laws but from images I’ve seen it’s clear the response was at times neither appropriate nor proportionate.’
Well-wishers light candles around a tree in honour of Sarah Everard on Clapham Common, south London on March 13
There has been condemnation of the policing of the vigil, with Home Secretary Priti Patel seeking a full report on events
In the early hours of Sunday, Assistant Commissioner Helen Ball said police were put into a position ‘where enforcement action was necessary’.
She said: ‘Hundreds of people were packed tightly together, posing a very real risk of easily transmitting Covid-19.
‘Police must act for people’s safety, this is the only responsible thing to do. The pandemic is not over and gatherings of people from right across London and beyond, are still not safe.
‘Those who gathered were spoken to by officers on a number of occasions and over an extended period of time. We repeatedly encouraged those who were there to comply with the law and leave. Regrettably, a small minority of people began chanting at officers, pushing and throwing items.’
Police constable Wayne Couzens, 48, is charged with kidnapping and murdering Ms Everard, who went missing while walking home from a friend’s flat in south London on March 3.