‘RECLAIM OUR STREETS’
Sarah Everard – Hundreds to join special vigil for missing 33-year-old at spot where she was last seen
HUNDREDS are expected to join a special vigil for Sarah Everard after the 33-year-old vanished off the streets of London.
The socially-distanced Reclaim These Streets vigil will be held at sunset on Saturday at Clapham Common - where Sarah was last seen last week.
🔵 Follow our live blog for the latest developments on the case of missing Sarah Everard
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Cop Wayne Couzens, 48, has since been arrested on suspicion of murder and kidnap after cops launched an investigation into Sarah's disappearance.
Human remains were yesterday found in woodland in Kent however identification is expected to take some time.
The case has sparked ripples of fear across the capital after the 33-year-old seemingly vanished as she walked through the streets of London.
And a vigil will now be held on Saturday - both for Sarah and also for women who feel unsafe and face violence everyday.
Organisers said: "It's wrong that the response to violence against women requires women to behave differently. In Clapham, police told women not to go out at night this week. Women are not the problem.
"We've all been following the tragic case of Sarah Everard over the last week. This is a vigil for Sarah, but also for all women who feel unsafe, who go missing from our streets and who face violence every day."
It comes as...
- Police were last night investigating whether Wayne Couzens used his warrant card to entice Sarah into a car
- Sarah's family said she would never have taken a lift from a stranger
- Human remains were found in woodland in Kent last night as part of the investigation
- CCTV from a London bus could have helped cops in their investigation
- Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was “shocked and deeply saddened" by the case
The vigil is due to take place at Clapham Common bandstand at 6pm on Saturday evening with organisers telling people they should maintain social distancing.
The Reclaim These Streets marches are designed to show that women should feel safe no matter the time of day.
The protests are reminiscent of those organised during the Yorkshire Ripper’s reign of terror in the 70s - when Margaret Thatcher told women to not go outside alone.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson today said he was “shocked and deeply saddened by the developments in the Sarah Everard investigation”, adding “we must work fast to find all the answers to this horrifying crime”.
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Home Secretary Priti Patel said: "I am deeply saddened by the developments in the Sarah Everard investigation. My heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with Sarah, her family and friends at this unbearable time.
"Many women have shared their stories and concerns online since Sarah’s disappearance last week. These are so powerful because each and every woman can relate.
"Every woman should feel safe to walk on our streets without fear of harassment or violence.
"At this deeply sad and tragic time as we think and pray for Sarah and her family, I will continue through my role to do all I can to protect women and girls from violence and harassment."
The first Reclaim These Streets protest is organised on Clapham Common, near to where the Durham University grad was last seen alive.
She vanished without a trace on March 3, and a huge police manhunt has been scrambled to find her.
She disappeared after leaving a friend’s house in Leathwaite Road, Clapham, at about 9pm that day.
She was thought to be making the 50-minute walk to her home in Brixton, where she lives alone.
Detectives believe she walked over Clapham Common and was seen on CCTV about halfway through the journey, on the A205 Poynders Road at 9.30pm.
She had been on the phone with her boyfriend Josh Lowth, also 33, for 15 minutes.
After that her phone loses signal or is switched off.
She was not seen on CCTV further down the road, or by her flat in Brixton.
'WE DESERVE TO BE SAFE'
The case has ignited sadness and fury among women - who do not feel safe at night.
Organiser Jamie Klingler said: “Every WhatsApp group I am in is filled with dread over Sarah Everard.
“All of us are replaying the millions of times we, as urban adults, have walked home at night.
“That we have taken for granted that we deserve to be safe.
“My heart is breaking for her family.”
Author Elif Shafak joined the protest: “Every woman should be able to walk home safely without fear.
“Stop telling women to change their behaviour.
“It is this awful misogyny that needs to be abolished.
“We need structural, legal, progressive change to protect women and girls, not empty words.”
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Erin Hanna wrote on Twitter: “Living in eyesight of where Sarah Everard was last seen, it’s truly devastating and terrifying as a young woman to see these events unfold.
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“We have the right to feel safe walking home.
“Saturday I will stand for women like Sarah and all women just walking home.”
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Sarah Everard cops find human remains in woodland after serving Met Police officer Wayne Couzens, 48, arrested
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