The UK Met police raided a Quaker meeting with Tasers on Saturday, arresting six women who were attending a gathering for the Youth Demand protest organisation.
The organisation describes itself as a youth-led non-violent civil resistance campaign that calls for the UK to stop arming Israel.
Over 20 police disrupted the meeting at 19:15 GMT, the Quakers said in a statement, calling it an “aggressive violation of our place of worship”.
A video on Youth Demand’s Facebook page showed a woman who claimed she attended the “publicly advertised welcome talk” and that police went on to seize attendees’ phones and laptops.
Paul Parker, the recording clerk for the Quakers in Britain, condemned the raid, adding: “No one has been arrested in a Quaker meeting house in living memory”.
“Freedom of speech, assembly, and fair trials are an essential part of free public debate which underpins democracy,” he added.
The Met police later confirmed they arrested six people at the gathering, stating this was done on suspicion of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance.
The Met further said another five people were arrested on Friday for the same reason, specifying four arrests were made in London and one in Exeter.
The police said the arrests were made because people were planning direct action in London next month.
“Youth Demand has stated an intention to ‘shut down’ London over the month of April using tactics including ‘swarming’ and roadblocks,” a statement read.
While the police said they “absolutely recognise the importance of the right to protest,” the Quakers denounced the actions of the Met, stating they “broke open the front door without warning or ringing the bell first”.
“The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 and the Public Order Act 2023 have criminalised many forms of protest and allow police to halt actions deemed too disruptive,” the statement added.
The raid on the meeting comes amid Israel’s war on Gaza, which has killed over 61,700 Palestinians since October 2023. Israel has also broken the ceasefire deal and blocked off all aid from the Strip, garnering worldwide condemnation.
Earlier this year, a US-based Quaker organisation working for peace and social justice announced they would be cancelling their planned advertising with The New York Times (NYT) after the outlet “refused to allow an ad referring to Israel’s genocide in Gaza”.
The Quakers in the UK have a long history, dating back to 1643, and have long been associated with pacifism.
The group regularly campaigns for social justice movements and the rights of the incarcerated. They have also historically been part of efforts to mediate conflicts and refuse to fight in wars.
