Peace and Police – interview with Quaker arrestee

Rajan Naidu is a life-long peace activist who was falsely arrested for assault

After the peaceful protest organised by Defend Our Juries on 30th July outside Westminster Crown Court, the Metropolitan Police posted on social media that a number of their officers had been assaulted.

This mirrors similar claims made about earlier protests, and suggests that they were facing violent individuals. Multiple witnesses have attested the protest was carried out passively and peacefully.

A Freedom Of Information request by Real Media later revealed that the “number of officers” the Met claim were assaulted was actually just two. One was allegedly kicked and another pushed, and neither required “any formal medical attention”. Another officer did however attend hospital after straining their back carrying out a passive protester.

Given that there were 152 arrests, one alleged shove and one kick hardly presents a picture of violence. More remarkably, one of those arrested for an alleged assault was Rajan Naidu, a well-known peace activist, committed to non-violence and trained in de-escalation. Rajan has been a Quaker for decades. He was released without being charged, but may be still ‘under investigation’, but of course vigorously denies any violent action.

So why did the Met, while supposedly carrying out impartial law enforcement, feel the need to present a distorted picture in a public post, taking up valuable police time when they could be “tackling the crimes that mean the most to Londoners”. Does this show a political bias, part of the crackdown on any support for the Palestinians still facing illegal occupation and genocide.

It is a long-standing philosophy of British policing, which stems from what are known as Robert Peel’s “9 Principles of Policing“, of which the second is: “To recognise always that the power of the police to fulfil their functions and duties is dependent on public approval of their existence, actions and behaviour and on their ability to secure and maintain public respect.“