A police raid on a Quaker Meeting House reminds us of the importance of freedom of assembly and expression.
On 27 March 2025, more than 20 uniformed police, some equipped with tasers, forced entry into Westminster Quaker Meeting House, in central London. Officers broke open the door without warning, arresting six young people who had hired a room to discuss climate change and peace in Gaza.
Anti-protest laws
This heavy-handed and disproportionate raid was enabled by the punitive anti-protest laws that Quakers and others have been campaigning against for years. Oliver Robertson, head of witness and worship for Quakers in Britain, said:
“This raid is not an isolated incident. It reflects a growing trend of excessive policing under new laws brought in by the previous government, which are now being enforced by the current administration.”
Quakers in Britain have set out a statement explaining why this is not just about the actions of the police, but about laws that undermine democracy itself. In a democratic society, people must have the right to assemble and to speak out, even when their views challenge those in power.
Write to your MP
You can take action by writing to your MP, using a guide created by Quakers in Britain. If you only have five minutes, you can choose some suggested text in the template email in the guide, add your name and contact details and email it to your MP.
If you would like to personalise your email more, you can find some more information about the police raid at the bottom of this document. Feel free to use the template email in the guide as a starting point, or to write your own email using this information.
Meeting for Worship in solidarity
Quaker Support for Climate Action have organised a silent Meeting for Worship at 12pm tomorrow (Thurs 3rd April) outside New Scotland Yard, and online. This will be to uphold our worshipping community and support all who speak up for truth and integrity in the face of increasing state oppression.
Working together for change
It is important that we continue meeting together peacefully and speaking truth to power. Our Changemakers Forum tomorrow (Thu 3rd April) will be a space to explore how we can work together for effective change. Join us from 6:30pm at the Priory Rooms, to share experiences of campaigns that won by organising and building community to change the balance of power.
Peace Hub is a branch of the Central England Area Quaker Meeting Charities (reg. charity no. 224571). As a Quaker organisation, we are led to take action by our faith. But we’re not exclusive! We’re happy to work with people of any faith (or no particular faith) who are in sympathy with our call to act for peace and justice.