Thousands back petition for Met Police chief Cressida Dick to resign after cops storm Sarah Everard vigil
THOUSANDS of angry Brits have backed a petition calling for Met Police chief Cressida Dick to resign.
Nearly 8,000 have signed the petition after a vigil for Sarah Everard ended in police dragging people away from a candle-lit shrine, where hundreds had gathered to pay their respects.
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The page reads: “After various comments and news articles over the last few weeks, it has become apparent that Cressida Dick is not capable of seeing the full truth of why the country’s crime rate is skyrocketing.
“But she is constantly shifting blame onto people or groups that have no cause or involvement in said crimes.
“I therefore start this petition to call for her resignation and instate a police chief that is more capable and up to the task.”
The Met boss has already faced calls to quit over police’s handling of the vigil on Saturday, but has said she will not resign.
Dame Cressida, 60 — the Met’s first woman commissioner — said what happened to Sarah “appalls me”, but added that it made her “more determined, not less” to continue leading the London force.
She said that “all the women and men of the Met are outraged at what has happened and they’re working as hard as they can to get justice for Sarah”.
Cops trying to enforce Covid restrictions were filmed grabbing several women from a bandstand area where megaphones were being used to address hundreds of people.
The vigil — intended to raise awareness of female safety in the wake of marketing executive Sarah’s murder — descended into chaos.
With bitter irony, shocking images from cameraphones showed burly male officers handcuffing and dragging women away. Four women were arrested for public order and coronavirus regulation breaches.
Footage showed one woman being shoved in the back by two officers after being lifted from her knees.
The woman, who had not yet been identified, was shoved again as she tried to bend down while telling officers she was trying to retrieve her glasses.
Home Office Minister Victoria Atkins said the scenes were “very upsetting”.
She said Dame Cressida would have to “explain” a shocking photo showing male cops wrestling peaceful, petite young women to the ground at the vigil.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey had called on Dame Cressida to resign, while Women’s Equality Party co-founder Catherine Mayer said the commissioner’s position was “untenable”.
Yesterday demonstrators chanted “shame on you” as cops stood guard at New Scotland Yard, before moving to Westminster.
The crowd clapped when an announcer said everyone was there to remember Sarah and a minute of silence was held, during which the protesters lay on the ground.
The Met last night said there had been no arrests at the Westminster protest and the event appeared to end peacefully.
Boris Johnson said he was “deeply concerned” about Saturday’s scenes as he vowed to make Britain’s streets safe for all women.
The PM said Sarah’s death must unite the nation in the battle to “drive out violence against women and girls”.
He will today gather senior ministers, police and the Crown Prosecution Service to discuss how to protect women and ensure that streets are safe.
Reclaim These Streets said it had originally received a positive response from the Met Police and Lambeth Council over holding a vigil.
However, police bosses later changed their position saying the event would be unlawful and that the organisers would face a £10,000 fine under new coronavirus laws.
Sarah’s death has prompted an outpouring of grief from the public, with many women and girls sharing stories online of experiencing violence by men.
The vigils were designed to show that women should feel safe no matter the time of day.