by Katie Tarrant, The Times
Twenty officers handcuffed six women and took them to the police station in the latest accusation against the force of over-policing free speech and the right to protest
More than 20 Metropolitan Police officers broke down the front door of a Quaker meeting house to arrest six women who had met to discuss climate change and Gaza.
It is thought to be the first time in the history of the famously pacifist Quakers that police have forced their way into one of their places of worship.
The women, aged between 18 and 38, were sitting in a circle eating hummus and bread sticks on Thursday evening as part of a “welcome meeting” for Youth Demand, which calls itself a non-violent protest group.
The police, some armed with Tasers, handcuffed the women, confiscated their belongings, took them to the police station and later raided some of their student accommodation.
A Met spokesman said six women had been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance, amid fears of a sit-down protest in the capital. None have been charged. The spokesman said: “Youth Demand has stated an intention to ‘shut down’ London over the [coming] month. While we absolutely recognise the importance of the right to protest, we have a responsibility to intervene to prevent activity that crosses the line from protest into serious disruption and other criminality.
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