‘Churches Together’ tells Cooper, Khan and Met they are ‘dismayed’ by raid on place of worship to arrest young anti-genocide activists
A coalition of English churches has publicly expressed its ‘dismay’ at the state’s assault on freedom of speech and the right to peaceful protest, after around thirty Met Police officers smashed in the door of a Quaker meeting house in London last month and arrested six young people attending a welcome session for the ‘Youth Demand’ anti-genocide and climate-change protest group.
The raid forms part of the Starmer-Cooper regime’s ongoing war on pro-Palestinian speech and protest, misusing anti-terror laws to raid, harass, arrest, criminalise and confiscate devices of journalists and activists who speak out against Israel’s genocide and other crimes in Gaza, in which the apartheid occupation has murdered at least 200,000 civilians, mostly women and children.
In an open letter to Met Commissioner Mark Rowley, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and London mayor Sadiq Khan, Churches Together in England condemned the ‘aggression’ shown to peaceful protesters, the desecration of a place of worship and the needless force and violence perpetrated by police – and asked for a meeting with officials with a view to preventing recurrences:
Churches call for review and meeting following police raid on place of worship
Dear Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley,
Member Churches of Churches Together in England were dismayed to learn of the police raid of the Westminster Quaker Meeting House on 27 March 2025.
Approximately 20 uniformed Police Officers broke into the premises and arrested six young people who had gathered for a publicly advertised meeting about protest against the Gaza crisis and climate justice. All six young people were later released.
A Quaker Elder was present in the building at the time and could have opened the door, which would have avoided damage to the building.
Churches Together in England Member Churches support the principle of the right to peaceful protest and are deeply concerned at this unnecessary forced entry to a place used for worship.
Paul Parker, recording clerk for Quakers in Britain, stated “This aggressive violation of our place of worship and the forceful removal of young people holding a protest group clearly shows what happens when a society criminalises protest”.
Churches Together in England requests that such an incident is subject to an appropriate review by the police and its accountability structures. We would also welcome a meeting with the Metropolitan Police along with representatives from the Quakers to discuss this matter further, to avoid such an incident happening in a place of worship again.
Yours faithfully
Bishop Mike Royal
General Secretary, Churches Together in England
The Starmer government is pushing through legislation supposedly to ‘protect’ places of worship from peaceful protests going anywhere near them. The assault on the Quaker meeting house makes clear this move is entirely about restricting anti-genocide protest and enabling Israel’s genocide, which Starmer is politically and militarily supporting, even allowing Israeli government officials linked to genocide a free pass to enter the UK.
The church move, while far from an adequate condemnation of Israel’s crimes and the complicity of the UK state machine, is a welcome contrast with the actions and posture of disgraced former Anglican Archbishop Justin Welby, who persisted in siding with Zionist groups, despite Israel’s mass murder of Palestinians including Palestinian Christians, until he was forced to resign for failing to act over child sexual abuse by Church of England figures.
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Ah the good old churches where were they when toerags attacked the benefits system oh dear one got up in the house of lords and told Cameron of but the following day recanted it ops but now they finding some guts to talk about governments it’s something but just like the pope whose very quiet about the attacks on the peasants I wonder did the devil have a go at keeping the pope very quiet hmmm
As a retired person I think Youth Demand are good kids, with good hearts for Palestine, & probably are socialists but really their threat to bring the streets of London to a halt were an over exaggeration, it is likely they would have disrupted a few streets but that the police took this very seriously & violated a church space is disturbing, perhaps they were under Labour orders?
But it’s really about suppressing radicalism, someone once said Right Wing Labour’s real job is to police the diverse working class for capital.
Equally it could be argued the predominantly middle class XR, self actualising, we’re doing more harm than good with their slow protests, alienating diverse working class people, when we need to save the planet WITH them not FOR.
So we need keep on Fighting For Palestine but think about our statements & potential reactions & we need 50 Popular Policies for the Environment which will benefit the diverse w class.
With each one we need to explain (1) how it will benefit the diverse w class & (2) how it will benefit climate change eg free public transport on the buses-helps the transport poor, less stress on bus drivers, more efficient, less cars cuts petrol use & reduces C02 emissions + fresher air.
So keep fighting for Palestine but think critically about what you are saying & possible lumpen reactions.
And with Climate Change put leaflets out on estates & all including middle class XR get your hands dirty & talk to the diverse w class people about Palestine & these 50 Climate Popular Policies.
Solidarity.