London murder case triggers wave of grief, rage over threats to women

Women in Britain poured out their fears and anger over how unsafe they feel walking the streets after the disappearance of a woman in London and the arrest of a police officer on suspicion of her kidnap and murder.

Sarah Everard, 33, was last seen at 9:30 p.m. on March 3 as she walked home from a friend’s house in south London.

Her image, smiling at the camera or caught on CCTV that evening, has been splashed across British newspapers all week.

Anxiety turned to grief after news late on Wednesday (March 10) that police investigating Everard’s disappearance had found remains in a wood outside of London, resulting in an outpouring of personal accounts by women of their own experiences and fears.

“The disappearance of Sarah and the absolute tragedy around that has really touched a nerve with a lot of women,” said Anna Birley, 31, one of the organisers of a planned “Reclaim These Streets” vigil to honour Everard and demand change.

“We feel really angry that it’s an expectation put on women that we need to change our behavior to stay safe. The problem isn’t women, the problem is that women aren’t safe on our streets,” said Birley.

Women flooded social media with posts about the steps they take when out alone at night to keep safe, including clutching keys to use as a weapon and wearing trainers to help them run.

Many raged at the violence against women that made them feel they had to take such measures.

Others detailed a catalogue of incidents of harassment by men in public over the decades since they were schoolgirls.

The head of London’s police force, Cressida Dick, said she and her colleagues were “utterly appalled” at news that a police officer had been arrested in connection with Everard’s abduction, speaking of a wave of shock and anger.

She sought to reassure women, saying it was “incredibly rare” for a woman to be abducted from the streets.

The arrested officer, whose job is to guard diplomatic buildings, is suspected of kidnap, murder and indecent exposure, while a woman in her 30s has also been detained on suspicion of assisting an offender.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was shocked and deeply saddened by developments in the case.

The “Reclaim These Streets” vigil will take place on Saturday on Clapham Common, near the place where Everard was last seen.

The text, photographs, video, graphics, metadata, quotes, data, information, and all protectable intellectual property available through the this website is the property of Reuters and its licensors. It is provided by Reuters and its licensors to you for your personal use and information only. You may not use the Content or Service for any commercial purpose. You acknowledge that by accessing and using this the service, you agree to be legally bound by and hereby consent to these terms of use and the privacy policy.  Learn more in https://www.reutersagency.com/en/about/brand-attribution-guidelines/