Josie Nasmyth- Miller
How could this have happened? A question which inevitably plays in the minds of the onlookers and those who experience the break down and exposure of government failures. This article will examine the forms in which national and global communities react to tragedy from social media to blockbuster films. Upon first look, many will assume that the rape and murder of Sarah Everard by acting Metropolitan Police Officer Wayne Couzens and the international breakdown of healthcare systems had very little in common. However, both events highlight the collective disillusionment of national and global communities with the power structures created to protect them against such disasters from occurring.
Social Media and Sarah Everard
On the 3rd March 2021, 33 year old Sarah Everard suddenly disappeared from the streets of Clapham, London. Her disappearance led to public outcry. How a young woman could disappear from one of the most densely populated cities in the world seemingly without a trace? Morbidly quickly, the public and Sarah’s grief ridden family were given there answer, Wayne Couzens pleaded guilty to her murder. The true shock was unveiled when Couzens was revealed to be a serving Metropolitan Police Officer as well as serving on the Civil Nuclear Constabulary, according to the Angiolini Report. He had also been found guilty of indecent exposure, masturbating in public and accused of further sexual abuse allegations prior to joining the Metropolitan Police.
IN THE 1970s AND 1980s WE MARCHED TO #RECLAIMTHENIGHT… YET HERE WE STILL ARE
#Reclaimthestreets and #Curfewformen began trending on Twitter (currently known as X), Instagram and Facebook. These hashtags listed thousands of British Women’s anecdotes of stalking, sexual harassment and assault which has not been taken seriously by the police. Bestselling Author Kate Mosse commenting, “In the 1970s and 1980s we marched to #ReclaimTheNight…yet here we still are”. However, riding pressure between the Metropolitan Police and activists was handled poorly at Sarah’s Vigil, with several hundred people including her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales making an appearance that, by the evening, police were making arrests. This was publicly criticised by the now Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, as well as the current Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.
Fundamentally, the demand for justice and notoriety of Sarah Everard’s murder was predominantly fuelled by social media. Women sharing personal anecdotes of police corruption, which would otherwise not be heard, contributed to the dismissal and arrest of Wayne Cosuenz. It also triggered a public inquiry into the ‘ladish’ culture within the Metropolitan police. In particular, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (ICOP) inquiry into the Charing Cross police station. They discovered clear evidence of rape threats towards colleagues, mocking rape victims, domestic violence, racism and homophobia.
The online community was brought together by Sarah Everard’s murder. They demanded that her death was caused by an unbroken chain of systematic misogyny and also brought that same justice for the family’s Bibaa Henery and Nicole Smallman and countless other victims.
BOTH DISASTERS LED TO A BREAKDOWN OF FAITH IN GOVERNMENTS AND POWER STRUCTURES
Coronavirus and Comradery
Unlike Sarah Everard’s death in March 2021, the Coronavirus Pandemic was an international crisis which permeated every inch of the global community. Both disasters led to a breakdown of faith in governments and power structures such as health services and the police. Covid-19 brought international communities who would otherwise not interact closer together out of a need to survive as seen through post apocalyptic dramas, documentaries and news articles.
For example, the big budget drama series, ‘The First Wave’, highlights the fear and determination of frontline medical professionals in New York City. One nurse stated, “Your family cares about you. You got people who care about you” with a flat lining heart monitor in the background. The collision between the desire to survive and an invisible enemy creates a battle like atmosphere. Unlike Sarah’s death, the Covid-19 Pandemic exposed the world to the equalising force of death, not seen since perhaps the Second World War, with an estimated three million dead according to a new report by the World Health Organisation.
Although the drama series focuses on the burrows of New Yorks, the independent news station VICE interviewed Hindu priests at a crematorium in New Delhi, India. This was taken during the Second Wave, with India’s Prime Minister allowing the Kumbh Mela Pilgrimage to go ahead and election rallied which became super spreader events. Priests and Doctors knew that this was most likely the outcome. Three thousand people died from Covid per day, the hospitals were running out of supplies and priests could not keep up with the number of bodies.
Covid- 19 was a direct threat to human life and it is not surprising that post apocalyptic films which tackled medical mismanagement and isolation became popular. Films such as The Quiet Place and Bird Box became immensely popular for their unconventional monsters and The Last of Us for its fight for survival. All these films share the theme of community, government collapse and survival which was primary part of Covid-19.
THE DRIVE OF JUSTICE AND SURVIVAL IN THE FACE OF EXTREME ADVERSITY
Fundamentally, media reactions to Sarah Everard’s Murder in March 2021 by Wayne Couzens and the outbreak of the Covid 19 pandemic, indicated the drive of justice and survival in the face of extreme adversity.
Josie Nasmyth-Miller
Featured image courtesy of Joshua Windsor via Flickr Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
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