THEIR CONDEMNATION THEN… AND WHAT THEY SAY NOW
Within minutes of photos being posted on social media of scenes from the vigil, opposition politicians began condemning the police...
SIR ED DAVEY
LIB DEM LEADER 8.46pm
‘the Met Police have acted terribly and caused great harm and hurt. #reclaimthesestreets.’ at 10.20pm, the Lib Dems went further, calling for Dame cressida Dick to quit, saying: ‘the scenes are utterly disgraceful and shame the Metropolitan Police.’
RESPONSE: after the inquiry report, sir Ed was unrepentant and a Lib Dem spokesman said the party disagreed with the findings. He insisted that the police had been ‘ordered to manhandle and arrest women, just for exercising their rights to peaceful assembly’.
SIR KEIR STARMER LABOUR LEADER 9.06pm
‘the scenes are deeply disturbing. Women came together to mourn sarah Everard – they should have been able to do so peacefully.
‘i share their anger and upset at how this has been handled. this was not the way to police this protest.’
RESPONSE: sir Keir’s office said no apology was due, stressing that politicians should ‘hold the police to account’.
NICK THOMAS-SYMONDS SHADOW HOME SECRETARY 9.21pm
‘i share the anger there is about the policing of this and lessons need to be learned.’
RESPONSE: He said it had been ‘important’ that there had been an inquiry but insisted there were ‘important lessons for the Government to learn about its own role.’
DAVID LAMMY SHADOW JUSTICE SECRETARY 9.33pm
‘the images of male police officers manhandling women at this moment of national trauma are distressing. the way this was policed was wrong and lessons must be learned.’
RESPONSE: No response to the Mos. CHRIS ELMORE LABOUR MP 9.38pm
‘it didn’t need to be this way. the Met have serious questions to answer.’
RESPONSE: No response to the Mos.
CAROLINE NOKES
CHAIRMAN OF THE WOMEN AND EQUALITIES COMMITTEE 9.51pm
‘truly shocked at the scenes – in this country we police by consent, not by trampling the tributes to a woman who was murdered and dragging other women to the ground. Badly misjudged by #metpolice.’ RESPONSE: Declined to comment.
SADIQ KHAN LABOUR LONDON MAYOR 9.51pm
‘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.’
RESPONSE: He defended his initial reaction saying he had called on the Government and police to allow the planned vigil to take place and ‘was provided with assurances that officers would police it sensitively.’
He added: ‘i accept the report, but it is clear that trust and confidence of women and girls in the police and criminal justice system is far from adequate.’
JESS PHILLIPS SHADOW MINISTER FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND SAFEGUARDING 10.21pm
‘We are meant to police by consent in this country. an awful, awful example.’ RESPONSE: ‘Everyone accepts the police have a very difficult job to do but the level of force used that night, including on a tiny woman, seems unnecessary.’