Police storming the vigil for Sarah Everard, in photos
- Text by Huck
- Photography by Theo McInnes
Last Saturday (March 13), thousands of people attended vigils across the country in memory of Sarah Everard, galvanised by the urgent demand that women should be able to walk the streets without fear of violence. As night fell, the Metropolitan Police began to storm the event in London, manhandling attendees and trampling on flowers laid in Sarah’s memory. It served as yet another painful confirmation that the threat of state-sanctioned violence is still an ever-present reality.
A High Court ruled that the #ReclaimTheseStreets vigil organised to take place on Clapham Common was not inherently “unlawful” under coronavirus regulations, but refused to intervene directly in the case. Despite this, the Metropolitan Police stood by their decision that attending the vigil would be unlawful and that organisers would risk £10,000 fines each if the event were to go ahead.
While the official event was cancelled, hundreds did still attend to show their respect, led by the activist group, Sisters Uncut. It started as a sombre affair as thousands gathered at the bandstand, joining in a minutes silence to remember Sarah Everard.
As a serving Metropolitan Police officer appeared in court charged with the kidnapping and murder of Sarah Everard, his fellow officers descended on Clapham Common, arresting several women present at the vigil. Chants of “who killed Sarah, you killed Sarah” erupted as more police arrived.
as the police began to reportedly make arrests, those in the crowd turned on the lights on their phones and chanted “shame on you” pic.twitter.com/voPzMwRl2O
— huck (@HUCKmagazine) March 13, 2021
A speaker on a megaphone said: “It is our duty to fight for our freedom, it is our duty to win, we must love and support each other, we have nothing but to lose but our chains”. Videos from the event show several male officers pinning women to the ground as they were arrested despite the pleas of attendees for the police to leave.
The excessive force and brutality of the Metropolitan Police’s actions in escalating what had been a peaceful event has face condemnation across the political spectrum in the UK, with many calling for the resignation of the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Cressida Dick. Without real structural change, however, we are unlikely to see a culture shift in the Metropolitan Police that won’t result in these horrific scenes repeated just as they were during last summer’s Black Lives Matter protests.
Our photographer Theo McInnes went to document a peaceful vigil for Sarah Everard on Clapham Common. He ended up capturing a stark display of a police force drunk on power, as they shamelessly and aggressively broke up the event.
Follow Sisters Uncut on Twitter.
Follow Theo McInnes on Instagram.
Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
You might like
The last days of St Agnes Place, London’s longest ever running squat
Off the grid — Photographer Janine Wiedel spent four years documenting the people of the Kennington squat, who for decades made a forgotten row of terraced houses a home.
Written by: Isaac Muk
As salmon farming booms, Icelanders size up an existential threat
Seyðisfjörður — The industry has seen huge growth in recent years, with millions of fish being farmed in the Atlantic Ocean. But who benefits from its commercial success, and what does it mean for the ocean? Phil Young ventures to the remote country to find out.
Written by: Phil Young
How Japan revolutionised art & photography in the ’60s and ’70s
From Angura to Provoke — A new photobook chronicles the radical avant-garde scene of the postwar period, whose subversion of the medium of image making remains shocking and groundbreaking to this day.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Artifaxing: “We’ve become so addicted to these supercomputers in our hands”
Framing the future — Predominantly publishing on Instagram and X, the account is one of social media’s most prominent archiving pages. We caught up with the mysterious figure behind it to chat about the internet’s past, present and future, finding inspiration and art in the age of AI.
Written by: Isaac Muk
The lacerating catharsis of body suspension in Hong Kong
Self-Ferrying — In one of the world’s most densely packed cities, an underground group of young people are piercing their skin and hanging their bodies with hooks in a shocking exploration of pain and pleasure. Sophie Liu goes to a session to understand why they partake in the extreme underground practice.
Written by: Sophie Liu
What we’re excited for at SXSW 2026
Austin 40 — For the festival’s 40th anniversary edition, we are heading to Texas to join one of the biggest global meetups of the year. We’ve selected a few things to highlight on your schedules.
Written by: Huck
