‘It has taken the police two and a half years to recognise that expressing an opinion in the street is not a crime.’
Police have admitted to unlawfully arresting a man for shouting “who elected him” during a proclamation ceremony for King Charles III.
After a two-and-a-half-year legal battle, Thames Valley Police admitted to wrongfully arresting trainee Baptist Symon Hill and paid him £2,500 in compensation.
While walking home from church in September 2022, Hill’s path was blocked by the Proclamation of the King.
After calling out “who elected him”, security officers at the event asked him not to express his opinion in a public space. Soon after, the police swooped in and arrested him under broad anti-protest laws.
In police body worn footage shared during the legal challenge, officers are heard saying: “But we do need to fine or de-arrest as we will get a complaint off the back of this”. Despite this, Symon was charged.
Liberty, who supported Hill with his legal action, said the case shows how “broad anti-protest laws are shutting down people’s freedom of expression”.
Hill said: “It has taken the police two and a half years to recognise that expressing an opinion in the street is not a crime. Opposing the monarchy is not a crime.
“I am very conscious that most people who are wrongly arrested are not able to take legal action”, adding that he was only able to do so because of the support of Liberty.
He added: “This is not just about me. It never has been. It is about the rights of all people to dissent, to express their views, to refuse to bow down, to assert the dignity and equality of all human beings.
“With the vague anti-protest laws as they are, anybody could face arrest for expressing an opinion in a public space. The law must be changed and the police must be held to account.”
Katy Watts, lawyer at Liberty said: “We must be able to raise our voices on the issues that matter to us. A functioning democracy relies on the ability to voice different opinions and discuss them in public spaces.
“It is quite clearly not a criminal offence to shout “who elected him?”, and the body-worn footage clearly shows that the arresting officer was aware of this.”
In closing, Watts said: “We must urgently see a review of the broad anti-protest legislation to ensure that what happened to Symon cannot be allowed to happen again.”
Thames Valley police’s deputy chief constable, Ben Snuggs, said: “Thames Valley police has settled a claim with Mr Hill and has accepted that the grounds of the offence for which he was arrested were unlawful.
“Public order and public safety operations are a key part of policing and it’s important we use these circumstances to help shape our future response.”
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
Left Foot Forward doesn't have the backing of big business or billionaires. We rely on the kind and generous support of ordinary people like you.
You can support hard-hitting journalism that holds the right to account, provides a forum for debate among progressives, and covers the stories the rest of the media ignore. Donate today.