“He was just coming home.” Here’s what he was doing Sarah Everard, 33-year-old girl from London, disappeared on March 3. She had visited a friend in the Clapham Common area and was returning to Brixton, where she lived. His body was found more than a week later in a wooded area of Ashford.
A Scotland Yard agent, Wayne Couzens, 48, was arrested for his murder. Sarah’s death became a real case in England. The debate has begun on the issue of safety for women, especially on the street.
The agent – accused of kidnapping and murder – remained on duty despite a complaint against him for an episode of exhibitionism in a fast food restaurant.
The question is “Why?” Why should we be afraid of walking alone in the street when it starts to get dark? Why on an isolated street, if we are alone, do we have to continually turn around to make sure no one is chasing us? Why can’t we be free to walk, run and travel without fear? Why?
After Sarah’s death, with all these whys, many women wanted to restore her dignity. They brought her flowers, wrote signs and dedicated poems. They took to the streets peacefully to “take back the streets” from male violence. The organized vigil was banned by law enforcement and the High Court in the name of the anti-social distancing regulations made necessary by the pandemic, but clashes soon broke out with agents who intervened to disperse the participants.
“I live in Clapham Common, the area where Sarah’s vigil took place. It was initially canceled due to Covid. Then, some groups of girls arrived. It was very moving and exciting “, Elizabeth, 25 years old from London, tells us who took part in Sarah’s commemoration. Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, wife of Prince William, has also deposited a bouquet of flowers in memory of Sarah, in Clapham Common.
“There were many women and girls who cried as they placed flowers. Then, towards evening, the police arrived. There were many. They behaved antagonistically against mourners. They started to stop and violently handcuff people. You must understand that for them it is a very sensitive issue, especially since Sarah’s killer was a member of the metropolitan police. ‘
Stories posted on different social media shows police arresting and abruptly handcuffing some women. This has sparked a wave of criticism from all parties. In London and throughout England, a “movement” seems to be bornElizabeth explains to us: “We ask for better treatment. Women face a lot of fights often against men and the worst case scenario is being killed by a man. Sarah was on her way home when she was kidnapped and killed, it was a shock to the women of London, because although it’s rare, it has happened, and it could happen to any of us.
It could happen to any of us. It is precisely the randomness of the murder that brings Sarah’s story even closer.
“The attack was random or at least that’s what we know for now. And this suggests. Plus there’s the whole question of road safety. When Sarah was still being searched, the local police told the women to stay indoors. But why shouldn’t we go out? When we are not the ones who harass, sexually assault, rape, kidnap and murder. For the police, perhaps this was a female problem. Misogyny is ingrained in our society and things have to change, ”Elizabeth continued.
Everyone has the right to go home safely. Because as so many women have written on their posters left right where Sarah was no longer safe: «Back home I want to feel free, not brave».
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