Hundreds of people converged on Clapham Common in south London on Saturday afternoon to mark the death of Sarah Everard, the 33-year-old marketing executive whose killing has ignited a wave of anger and solidarity among women across Britain.
The crowd, predominantly made up of women, gathered in silence, some crying, around a bandstand. They were half a mile from the house in Battersea where Everard had been visiting a friend the night she went missing. The duchess of Cambridge was among those seen paying their respects.
“It feels like Sarah Everard’s death is at the apex of violence against women but lots of people would identify with some of the stuff around personal safety or feeling threatened by men,” said Naomi Grant, a parliamentary assistant who was present.
In a sign of the strength of feeling provoked by the case, the gathering went ahead, despite a police ban due to coronavirus lockdown restrictions.
Having agreed to cancel the vigil on Saturday…