The women who were arrested at the Sarah Everard vigil have received a payout and a heartfelt apology from the London police.

The Metropolitan Police has extended a heartfelt apology to Patsy Stevenson and Dania Al-Obeid, two courageous ladies who were detained during the moving Sarah Everard vigil in London back in 2021. They have also been compensated financially.

It was confirmed in a statement from their attorney on Thursday that Patsy and Dania would get “significant” compensation in addition to a formal apology from the London police force.

This mournful gathering was conducted in Clapham Common in London during strict COVID-19 restrictions in honor of Sarah Everard, a 33-year-old who tragically lost her life to a serving Met officer in early March 2021 while walking home.

Women’s rights advocates harshly criticized the police for how they handled the demonstrators near the end of the event. Officers used force to eject ladies from the bandstand, pinning some of them to the ground, including Patsy Stevenson.

The MPS has issued a sincere apology in addition to large settlements to Dania Al-Obeid and Patsy Stevenson, according to a statement from the law firm Bindmans LLP.

The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), in accordance with the legal firm, has stated that the women’s attendance at the vigil was a result of their feeling “deeply disappointed by the Met.” It acknowledged that people’s attendance at the vigil was protected by their fundamental right to protest and that its goal was to provide a forum for the public expression of sadness and indignation.

“The MPS has expressed profound regret that Patsy and Dania’s opportunity to express their grief and anger was ‘interrupted by their arrest and removal,’ and that legal proceedings became necessary,” the law firm continued.

According to a statement issued by Bindmans LLP, Patsy Stevenson described the procedure as “exhausting and challenging.”

It has taken more than two years to get here, and the journey there has been incredibly arduous and tiring. Nevertheless, it felt absolutely essential to continue pursuing some sort of accountability and justice, not only for myself but also for all the women who attended the vigil to express our grief and rage over the tragic loss of Sarah Everard, who was killed by an active Metropolitan Police officer, Stevenson said.

“I’m relieved that the police have acknowledged our fundamental right to protest,” she concluded. However, the Public Order Act has since further weakened and eroded this very prerogative.

Stevenson expressed her relief at the conclusion of this chapter and stated that she will “continue to stand in solidarity with all those fighting for truth, justice, and accountability arising from racist, misogynistic, or homophobic policing.”

In her own words, Dania Al-Obeid found the experience “incredibly difficult but very important as a survivor of domestic violence and someone who has been failed by the police in that context.”

In her statement, Al-Obeid claimed she felt “empowered holding the police to account for how they have treated me and other women who attended the vigil.”

“Through this process, I’ve found my voice, and I finally feel like I’m being heard,” she continued. Although I appreciate the Met Police acknowledging the reason we came to the vigil, to say we were “badly let down” would be an understatement. Before, during, and after the vigil, I felt harassed and abandoned by the police. I don’t feel safe or protected by any police agency.

In a press statement released on Thursday, a representative for the Met Police noted that the Clapham Common vigil took place under unusual circumstances, during a pandemic with legitimate public health restrictions in place. It was also held soon after Sarah Everard was tragically murdered by a serving Met officer.

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