Met Police use of anti-terror laws to arrest French publisher condemned

Two publishers and the National Union of Journalists have condemned the police after anti-terror laws were used to arrest a French publisher as he arrived in London.

Ernest Moret was searched under counter-terrorism legislation after travelling from Paris on Monday.

His employer claimed he was stopped over his alleged involvement in French pension age protests.

The Metropolitan Police said a man had been arrested over obstruction.

On Tuesday evening, police confirmed that the arrested man had been released on bail.

Mr Moret, who works at Paris-based publisher Editions La Fabrique, was detained after travelling on the Eurostar to St Pancras railway station to attend London Book Fair.

Officers said they were stopping him under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000 - this gives the police wide powers to search people at border crossings to check if they are involved in terrorism.

The police do not need any grounds to stop and search people at borders under these powers.

Editions La Fabrique and a collaborating London publisher, Verso Books, said Mr Moret refused to give officers the pass codes to his phone, and he was then taken to Islington police station in north London.

The Met said in a statement: "At around 1930hrs on Monday, 17 April, a 28-year-old man was stopped by ports officers as he arrived at St Pancras station, using powers under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000."

"On Tuesday, 18 April, the man was subsequently arrested on suspicion of wilfully obstructing a Schedule 7 examination (contrary to section 18 of the Terrorism Act 2000). Enquiries continue."

Editions La Fabrique and Verso Books described the detention as an "outrageous and unjustifiable infringement" of freedom of expression and said it was an "abuse of anti-terrorism laws".

They said officers told Mr Moret, who works as a foreign rights manager, he had taken part in demonstrations about President Emmanuel Macron raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 in France - the controversial pension changes were signed into law this week.

In a joint statement Editions La Fabrique with Verso Books said: "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.

"It was demanded that he give up his phone and pass codes to the officers, with no justification or explanation offered. This morning, Ernest was formally arrested and transferred to a police station, accused of obstruction because of his refusal to give up his pass codes."

Sebastian Budgen, senior editorial director at Verso Books and a friend of Mr Moret, told the BBC: "It's an extremely frightening kind of event when somebody who's just conducting their professional activity coming to a book fair in London can be treated in this kind way as if they're public enemy number one...

"[Editions La Fabrique] is a left publisher... we've had months now of massive protests in France, and I think from their perspective anybody who is a dissident or aligned with a dissident publisher is potentially some kind of criminal.

"Ernest is a 28-year-old foreign rights manager. He doesn't have any particular power or influence. I think they just decided he's someone good to pick on to see if they can get any intelligence."

Pamela Morton, senior books and magazine organiser at the National Union of Journalists, said it "seems extraordinary" that British police used terror legislation to arrest a publisher "who was on legitimate business here".

An open letter signed by French publishers and authors in news magazine L'Obs called on British authorities to immediately release Mr Moret.

"We also urge the French authorities to intervene to guarantee the protection of their nationals against such repressive measures," it added.

The French Embassy in London has been approached for comment.