While the authorities have tried to reassure the public by pointing out that abductions in London are rare, the city’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, has also acknowledged that its streets are not safe enough. Many women have said that as lockdown restrictions have emptied the country’s streets, they have felt unsafe walking in public.
Ms. Everard, a marketing executive, was last seen alive at around 9.30 p.m. on March 3, while walking home from a friend’s house in South London.
Her family described her as “a shining example to us all” who was “kind and thoughtful, caring and dependable.”
“Sarah was bright and beautiful — a wonderful daughter and sister,” they added.
Lawmakers, activists and women’s rights organizations had called on people to gather in Clapham Common, the South London park near where Ms. Everard was last seen. But the organizers, a group of nine women from the umbrella group Reclaim These Streets, said the police had told them that they would face a fine of 10,000 pounds ($14,000) if they went ahead with the vigil.
Jamie Klingler, one of the organizers, said they had suggested ideas like splitting the gathering in the park into several time slots, or organizing a walk-by memorial.
They retreated on Saturday morning, instead inviting people to hold a light on their doorstep in memory of Ms. Everard.
“We’re protesting against violence against women, and we’re being shut down by the police,” Ms. Klingler, a 42-year-old events manager, said in a telephone interview. “I’m baffled.”
