Police Raid Home of 84-Year-Old Priest Who Joined Just Stop Oil Protest

Police raided the home of an 84-year-old priest following her arrest last week at a Just Stop Oil protest.

Sue Parfitt had been arrested alongside other protesters at Parliament Square in London on Wednesday 2 September during Andy Burnham’s first PMQs, with activists calling on the prime minister not to approve new oil and gas licenses.

Parfitt’s home in Henbury, Bristol, was searched sometime between 7.30pm that evening and noon the following day while she was being held in police custody. 

She only discovered her home had been the site of a swoop when she returned on Thursday afternoon following her release. 

She recalled being told what had happened by her landlord. “I was quite surprised,” she said, “and then I was terrified.” 

It hasn’t been made clear to Parfitt why the raid occurred, although she suspects the police had intended to seize her laptop. 

Parfitt doesn’t have a smartphone or social media. “They [the police] think you’ve got all these contacts on your devices,” she said. “Well, I don’t because I’m not in any of these chats.” 

Parfitt shares her home with her landlord and another tenant, who was not home at the time of the incident. 

No other protesters held in custody last week are believed to have had their homes raided.

Novara Media has approached the police for comment.

Parfitt has been arrested more than 30 times in total, mostly for defying the proscription of Palestine Action but also for participating in climate protests with Just Stop Oil, Insulate Britain, Extinction Rebellion and Christian Climate Action.

At a protest opposing the ban on Palestine Action in July 2025, Parfitt told Novara Media she wasn’t afraid of being arrested.

“I know that we are in the right place doing the right thing,” she said, while holding a sign reading “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action”. 

“As my friend Ruth always says, ‘we cannot be bystanders’.”