UK condemned for arresting French publisher on terror charges

BIRMINGHAM, England

The British government and the London Metropolitan Police have received condemnations for detaining a French publisher under the UK's Terrorism Act on Tuesday.

Ernest Moret, the foreign rights manager for popular science fiction author Alain Damasio as well as Paris-based publisher Editions La Fabrique, was stopped by police officers shortly after his arrival at the St. Pancras International rail station from Paris.

Moret was on his way to the London Book Fair, where he had more than 40 scheduled appointments. The publisher was questioned for six hours by London police before being arrested for alleged obstruction in refusing to disclose the passcodes to his mobile phone and computer.

Later on Wednesday, the 28-year-old was released with no charges.

Verso Books, a London-based left-wing publishing house, and the Éditions la Fabrique condemned Moret’s treatment as “scandalous” in a joint statement.

“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 clearly indicate complicity between French and British authorities on this matter.”

The statement added: “We consider these actions to be outrageous and unjustifiable infringements of basic principles of the freedom of expression and an example of the abuse of anti-terrorism laws.”

The UK’s National Union of Journalists (NUJ) also condemned the arrest. “The arrest of Ernest Moret is extremely concerning,” said Pamela Morton, an NUJ representative. “It seems extraordinary that the British police have acted this way in using terrorism legislation to arrest the publisher who was on legitimate business here for the London Book Fair.”

In her condemnation, Labour Party MP Diane Abbott said: “Complete abuse of anti-terror law by Met police arresting Frenchman for demonstrating back in France.”

France has been shaken with endless protests since the beginning of the year. Demonstrators strongly opposed a bill that raises the retirement age from 62 to 64 by 2030, requiring at least 43 years of work to be eligible for a full pension.

The government unveiled the reform proposal in January and it was taken up for parliamentary debate the following month even as millions took to the streets to oppose it.

Unrest intensified when Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, after consulting President Emmanuel Macron, decided to use special constitutional powers to adopt the bill without parliamentary approval in March.

The decision was driven by fear that lawmakers would be able to block the reforms as the government lacks an absolute majority in the legislature.