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02
Oct 2021
Harrogate protesters tell Philip Allott to go over Sarah Everard comments
Protesters braved the rain and wind in Harrogate today to call on North Yorkshire's Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC) to resign over his Sarah Everard comments.
The group gathered near the war memorial at 11.30am to coincide with a public engagement meeting organised by the PFCC's office, which Mr Allott did not attend.
It comes after Mr Allott said in an interview with BBC Radio York that women “need to be street wise” and that Ms Everard “never should have submitted” to arrest.
Those comments sparked widespread anger. Mr Allott's name trended on Twitter with calls for his resignation yesterday.
Less than 24 hours later a group of Harrogate residents waved placards and organised a petition to call on the PFCC to step down. They gathered more than 160 signatures in under an hour.
'Police need to get to the root of the problem'
Margaret Smith, one of the protesters, told the Stray Ferret:
Hannah Ruddy added:
A man at the protest who wanted to show support for Mr Allott, but did not wish to be named, said:
The Stray Ferret approached the PFCC's office but it did not wish to comment on the protest today but pointed us back to Mr Allott's apology on Twitter:
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