An organiser has spoken out after plans for a silent vigil was put to a halt after she was threatened with a £10k fine.
Jessica Kingsley, of Colliers Wood, said she decided to organise a community vigil for residents to pay tribute to Sarah Everard on Saturday.
She had hoped to mark the memory of Ms Everard, whose body was found last week in Kent after she went missing when walking home from a friend’s house in Clapham.
Jessica said that she sent a WhatsApp message to some residents in the Colliers Wood area, to invite them to pay their respects at a nearby park.
Message Jessica sent on WhatsApp
"I knew many locals felt deeply affected by the news but didn't want to have to travel out of the area to pay their respects," said Jessica.
"I discreetly organised a silent vigil for Saturday evening. Where people could walk around our local park in silence or with someone in their household or social bubbles.
"I believed that by doing this I wasn't breaking any Covid laws."
But on Saturday afternoon, Jessica said she received a call from Merton Police asking her to cancel the vigil publicly on social media.
"I felt like the police really gave me no choice. They threatened to give me personally a 10k fine.
"I felt very sad and helpless, as all we wanted to do was to pay our respects to the family and show support."
She added: "I personally feel that as a woman I have been silenced on this occasion.
"I do believe that if we had been sanctioned our event in colliers wood would not have broken any covid laws nor become violent like the terrible scenes on Clapham Common.
"However we are dealing with a global pandemic and if walking around the park was deemed as a risk to the safety of others then I don't want to be seen to be breaking the law or putting others at risk.
"Most of all this should not have become a politicised event and my thoughts are with Sarah's family and friends right now. "
She added: "After I called off the vigil I decided to create a tribute in the local memorial gardens, where people could leave flowers or messages in memory of Sarah Everard and all other women who never made it home safely.
"I hope there will be sometime in the future where people can peacefully demonstrate their feelings and voice their opinions."
The tribute can be found at Colliers Wood Recreation Ground located near South Gardens.
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