Vigil hangs in balance after High Court case

A PLANNED vigil for Sarah Everard hangs in the balance after a High Court judge refused to make a declaration regarding the right to gather for protest under coronavirus restrictions.

Organisers of the proposed Reclaim These Streets event in London today say the Metropolitan Police told them it could not go ahead owing to lockdown rules.

They brought legal action yesterday, asking Mr Justice Holgate to make “an interim declaration” that any ban on outdoor gatherings under coronavirus regulations is “subject to the right to protest”.

But he declined to grant the group’s request and also refused to make a declaration that an alleged policy by the force of “prohibiting all protests” is unlawful.

Reclaim These Streets was organised after the disappearance of Ms Everard, 33, prompted an outcry about women’s safety. The event was due to take place at Clapham Common bandstand, close to where Ms Everard went missing, at 6pm today.

At the outset of yesterday’s hearing, the judge said: “All of us appreciate the tragic circumstances in which this case has had to be brought and I am sure we all respect the particular sensitivities involved.”

In his ruling, he said the organisers were told by police that “the vigil would be illegal and that their ‘hands were tied’ by Covid-19 regulations”.

The judge added that the claimants “were told that, as organisers, they would be liable to be issued with £10,000 fixed penalty notices”, and could be arrested. He said it would not be “appropriate for the court” to make a declaration.

Meanwhile, a Leeds vigil has moved online. The organisers of the event, Reclaim the Night Leeds, said West Yorkshire Police had warned them they would be fined if the event went ahead.