BRITAIN BEING AN AUTHORITARIAN POLICE STATE YET A-FUCKIN-GAIN

https://www.versobooks.com/en-gb/blogs/news/joint-press-release-by-editions-la-fabrique-paris-and-verso-books-london

So incase you haven’t heard, yesterday French citizen and radical leftist Ernest Moret, foreign rights manager for the French publisher Editions La Fabrique as well as science fiction author Alain Damasio were arrested in England on their way to the London Book Fair. They were taken aside by police under Schedule 7 of the UK’s terrorism act of 2000 (this act basically allows a pig to stop and question anyone entering or leaving the UK).  The reason given was that Ernest Moret had participated in France’s recent protests. He was not allowed not allowed to speak with a lawyer, was detained and allegedly demanded to give up his phone and passcodes. He has now been officially arrested and tranferred to a police station for the olden goldie of “Obstruction”! Remember, just because the british pigs can’t shoot you, doesn’t mean they aren’t also the absolute worst ever and will do everything to protect the interests of the status quo, including the arrest of a man expected to meet the FRENCH AMBASSADOR in london.

Arrest of science fiction rights manager by British antiterrorism police condemned, prompts protest in London and France

Ernest Moret, the foreign rights manager for radical French publisher Éditions La Fabrique, and award-winning science fiction author Alain Damasio, was arrested by antiterrorism police on arrival at St Pancras, London on Monday, on his way to the London Book Fair. He was later released on bail. The action by police prompted angry reaction on both sides of the Channel, from his publisher and a…

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Hello Mr Gaiman, are you aware that a French publisher was arrested today upon arrival to London for the book fair and is currently being held without a lawyer on suspicion of terrorism because he participated in the protests in France? As a French writer and union representative for writers, but mostly as a French citizen, I am absolutly outraged at what is obviously a threat to our right to protest and an attempt to intimidate the movement into submission. I'd understand if you'd rather not get into that but as a writer with a lot of influence worldwide, your support would be much appreciated (if anything, to spread awareness of the situation abroad).

Thanks a lot for your work in general, it has been and always will be a source of inspiration for me.

Kind regards,

Jolan Bertrand

I wasn't aware, no. But I googled and was astonished. Invoking terrorism laws against lawful protesters is a scary thing to do.

In other news, this week a French publisher on his way to the London Book Fair was arrested by British counter-terrorist police to be questioned about his participation in protests in France.

A French publisher has been arrested on terror charges in London after being questioned by UK police about participating in anti-government protests in France.

Moret arrived at St Pancras [...] with his colleague Stella Magliani-Belkacem, the editorial director at the Paris-based publishing house, to be confronted by the two officers. [...] He was questioned for six hours and then arrested for alleged obstruction in refusing to disclose the passcodes to his phone and computer. [...] He was transferred to a police station in Islington, north London, where he remained in custody on Tuesday. He was later released on bail.

Éditions la Fabrique is known for publishing radical left authors. Moret also represents the French science fiction novelist Alain Damasio and had arranged more than 40 appointments at the London book fair. [...]

[Quoting publishing house’s press release] “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.” [...] “There’s been an increasingly repressive approach by the French government to the demonstrations, both in terms of police violence, but also in terms of a security clampdown.”

(Guardian link - BBC link) (article in French)

The publishing house (here’s their latest statement in French) and the publisher’s lawyer mention that the British police asked him “Do you support Emmanuel Macron? Did you attend protests against the pension reform?” and he was also asked to name the authors with anti-government views that his employer has published. They add, “Asking the representative of a publishing house, in the framework of counter-terrorism, about the opinions of his authors, is pushing even further the logic of political censorship and repression of dissenting thought. In a context of social protests and authoritarian escalation on the part of the French government, this aspect [of the questioning] is chilling.”

Being an accomplice to thoughtcrime by publishing dissident authors gets you treated like an international terrorist now... The publisher’s lawyer suggests that French authorities asked the UK to help them get their hands on the publisher’s contacts in the radical left sphere. But on the face of it, we’ve got: Exercise your right to protest your government in France -> get arrested by counter-terrorist UK police in London. That’s literally the reason he was given for being greeted by police at the train station...

A French publisher who was arrested in London on terrorism charges has been awarded “substantial” damages by the Metropolitan police, as new figures reveal thousands of foreign nationals have been stopped at UK ports under anti-terror laws. Ernest Moret, 29, a foreign rights manager for Éditions la Fabrique, was detained at St Pancras station in April last year on his way to the London book fair. He was held under section 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000, and questioned by counter-terrorist officers about whether he had taken part in anti-government demonstrations in France and if he backed the French president, Emmanuel Macron. Moret’s mobile phone and laptop were also confiscated for several weeks, before being returned to him after police decided to take no further action. The police also admitted downloading Moret’s sim card before returning his phone.

[...]

The figures have deepened concerns that police are using counter-terrorism powers to target political activists. Kevin Blowe, campaigns coordinator at the police monitoring group Netpol, said the figures were “genuinely alarming”. He said: “We know these powers are used for purposes other than investigating terrorism, including the targeting of political activists visiting Britain. “The data does suggest that EU states are seeking the active help of British police to target their own citizens too, although state surveillance is so lacking in transparency and accountability that this is almost impossible to confirm. “Schedule 7 is discriminatory and draconian, it undermines civil rights and criminalises communities and political dissent. Like so many other counter-terrorism powers put in place a decade ago by the last Labour government, it is something that we would all be better off without.”

Met police criticised for using anti-terror laws to arrest French publisher on way to London Book Fair

Protests held after Ernest Moret apparently told alleged involvement in demonstrations against Emmanuel Macron’s pension age reform was behind detention at St Pancras

by Josh Salisbury

A leading French publisher has been bailed after anti-terror laws were used to arrest him as he arrived in London.

Ernest Moret, a foreign rights manager with French publisher Editions La Fabrique, was stopped by officers at St Pancras on Monday.

He had been on his way to the London Book Fair at Kensington Olympia, which is scheduled to include an address by the Ukrainian president’s wife, Olena Zelenska.

According to a joint statement released by his publisher and left-wing book publisher, Verso Books, Mr Moret was stopped by police under counter-terror laws on Monday at St Pancras to “determine whether he was engaged in terrorist acts or in possession of material for use in terrorism”.

His employer claimed he was stopped over his alleged involvement in French pension age protests. They also alleged that he was then arrested after refusing to give up passcodes to his phone.

Ernest Moret: Arrested French publisher faces no further action

Scotland Yard says Ernest Moret will face no further action over his arrest in April.

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Scotland Yard says Ernest Moret will face no further action over his arrest in April.

French publisher arrested in London on terrorism charge | UK news | The Guardian

Turns out the publisher is NOT a terrorist but was arrested because he wouldn't turn over the pass codes to his phone and laptop.

He also publishes left wing books.

French publisher arrested in London for refusal to tell police his passcodes

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/apr/18/french-publisher-arrested-london-counter-terrorism-police-ernest-moret Comments

باسی ئازادیی خۆپیشاندان و پرۆتێست مەکە، دوژمنەکەت جیهانییە

18/04/2023 دوێنێ دووشەمە، 17/04، گەنجێکی 28 ساڵی فەرەنسی بە ناوی Ernest Moret  کە لە یەكێك لە بڵاوەکراوەکانی فەرەنسادا  کار دەکات بە یورۆ ستار سەعات 7.30ی ئێوارە لە پاریسەوە گەیشتە محەتەی کینگس کرۆس لە لەندەن .  هەر بە گەیشتنی یەکسەر لە لایەن پۆلیسەوە گلدرایەوە کەوتنە پشکنین و لیكۆڵینەوە بە پاساوی گومانی تیرۆریزم و هەڵگرتنی ماتریاڵی مەترسیداری  تیرۆر.  دواتر پۆلیس پاساوی کارەکەیان کرد کە …

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Ernest Lawson (American, 1873-1939), Moret-sur-Loing, 1894. Oil on canvas, 25 x 30 in.

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