Susanna Reid's passionate plea on GMB after Sarah Everard vigil
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Susanna Reid made a heartfelt plea as she hit out at the "shocking" scenes of police tackling women to the floor and handcuffing them at Sarah Everard's vigil.
Ahead of her interview with Policing Minister Kit Malthouse on Good Morning Britain with co-host Ben Shephard, she said that the peaceful vigil had turned into something no one had wanted.
This comes as Met Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick refuses to resign over claims police "manhandled" women at the vigil in Clapham Common.
The police boss said 'unlawful gatherings are unlawful gatherings' in response to criticism of her officers.
Susanna said: "This was supposed to be a peaceful vigil for Sarah.
© ITVSusanna Reid made a heartfelt plea as she hit out at the 'shocking' scenes of police tackling women to the floor
"That's the absolutely tragic case of a woman who was simply walking home a week ago.
"Women gathered - more than 1,000 of them - to just pay respects, lay flowers and make a point about the fact they don't feel safe.
"The Duchess of Cambridge went a bit earlier in the day and laid daffodils. A spokesperson says she felt for what had happened and remembered what it was like when she was in London before she got married.
© ITVSusanna said that the peaceful vigil had turned into something no one had wanted
© REUTERSPolice detain protester Patsy Stevenson as people gather at a memorial site in Clapham Common
"She was an important presence at the vigil.
"But something happened later on which means police are now under fire for a very heavy handed response."
© JOSHUA BRATT/EPA-EFE/REX/ShutterstockSusanna said that women had turned up to 'pay respects to a woman who is dead' but were 'shoved out of the way by police'
Susanna added that the women who had turned up had wanted to "pay respects to a woman who is dead" but were "shoved out of the way by police".
She continued: "This is not the image we wanted.
"I think women are unsettled, angry and upset at a time when rape prosecutions are at a record low, kerb crawling of schoolgirls still not illegal, a woman is killed every three days, and new legislation would give longer starting point for defacing a statue than starting point for rape."
*Good Morning Britain airs weekdays at 6am on ITV