Ernest Moret was arrested under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000 at London’s St Pancras International railway station on April 17th.
A French publisher’s detention at London’s St Pancras International railway station has raised concerns about the use of anti-terrorism laws and freedom of expression. Ernest Moret was stopped under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
Moret’s employer and a London publisher criticized his detention as an abuse of anti-terrorism laws. The National Union of Journalists has called for a review of Schedule 7’s powers.
Ernest Moret Arrest And Charges
On April 17th, Ernest Moret, a 28-year-old French publisher, was detained by the Metropolitan Police at London’s St Pancras International railway station. The Police stopped Moret under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
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The Police do not need grounds to stop and search people at borders under these powers. Moret, who works at Editions La Fabrique in Paris, was on his way to the London Book Fair when he was detained.
His employer claimed he was stopped for his alleged involvement in French pension age protests. After refusing to do so, he was taken to Islington Police Station in north London.
French Publisher Charged in London on Terrorism
Moret’s arrest has raised concerns about freedom of expression and the use of anti-terrorism laws. The Police arrested Moret, suspected of obstructing a Schedule 7 examination under the Terrorism Act 2000.
Schedule 7 provides Police with broad powers to stop and search individuals at border crossings to determine if they are involved in terrorism.
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Editions La Fabrique and Verso Books, a collaborating London publisher, criticized Moret’s detention as an outrageous and unjustifiable infringement of freedom of expression and an abuse of anti-terrorism laws.
The French Embassy in London has also been approached for comment. In a joint statement, Editions La Fabrique with Verso Books said,
“The Police officers claimed that Ernest had participated in demonstrations in France as a justification for this act – a quite remarkably inappropriate statement for a British Police officer to make and which seems to indicate complicity between French and British authorities on this matter.”
Sebastian Budgen, senior editorial director at Verso Books, called Moret’s arrest an extremely frightening event and suggested that Moret was singled out due to his association with a dissident publisher. Budgen added,
“From their perspective, anybody who is a dissident or aligned with a dissident publisher is potentially some kind of criminal.”
Pamela Morton, old books and magazine organizer at the National Union of Journalists, also expressed her concern, stating that it seems extraordinary that British Police used terror legislation to arrest a publisher.
The incident involving Ernest is not the first time that the use of anti-terrorism laws has been called into question. In 2013, David Miranda was detained at Heathrow Airport under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act.
Miranda carried encrypted files relating to the Snowden revelations, and his detention was widely criticized for abusing anti-terrorism laws. The National Union of Journalists has called for an urgent review of Schedule 7.
The organization argues that the powers granted under Schedule 7 can have a chilling effect on free speech and the freedom of the press. Anti-terrorism laws have been a contentious issue in many countries.
Some argue that they are necessary to protect national security, and others contend that they can be abused to infringe on civil liberties. The incident involving Ernest Moret highlights the need for a careful balance between these concerns.
