Stevenson was among thousands who attended the vigil Saturday in London’s Clapham Common for Sarah Everard, the 33-year-old marketing executive whose kidnap and killing has stunned the nation.
With England still in lockdown, police had urged people to stay away from the planned vigil. Organizers canceled the event after talks with police about its legality and safety broke down. But people went anyway.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick, facing calls to step down from the most powerful policing position in Britain, said Sunday she was not considering resigning.
“We’re still in a pandemic, unlawful gatherings are unlawful gatherings, officers have to take action if people are putting themselves massively at risk,” she told reporters.
But many questioned the way police handled the event as the photos of officers handcuffing Stevenson went viral. Home Office minister Victoria Atkins was quizzed about the images on Sunday morning talk shows.
“You’ll be very familiar with the picture that has been shown absolutely everywhere. What did you think when you saw it?” asked the BBC’s Andrew Marr.
“I found it very upsetting, of course,” Atkins said.
Atkins told Sky’s Sophie Ridge show that the photograph was “something that the police will have to explain in their report to the Home Secretary.”
The police on Sunday defended their handling of the event.
“We absolutely did not want to be in a position where enforcement action was necessary,” assistant police commissioner Helen Ball said. “But we were placed in this position because of the overriding need to protect people’s safety.”
“Hundreds of people were packed tightly together, posing a very real risk of easily transmitting Covid-19,” she said. She said “a small minority of people began chanting at officers, pushing and throwing items.”
Among the thousands who attended the vigil peacefully — including Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, who left flowers — a Post reporter saw a small group of people hurling insults and objects at the police. One person smashed the rear window of a police van. Many shouted “arrest your own” and “shame on you.”
As scenes of tussles from the vigil circulated online, politicians from across the political spectrum criticized police actions.
Home Secretary Priti Patel called the scenes at the vigil “upsetting” and said she had requested a full police report on the day’s developments. London Mayor Sadiq Khan said police chiefs had failed to provide him with a satisfactory explanation of events and called for an independent investigation.
Police said four people were arrested for “public order offences and for breaches of the Health Protection…
Read More: Sarah Everard: London Police under pressure over vigil response