Women arrested over plan to disrupt King’s coronation launch legal action
The group of nine women said they were attending a non-violent workshop run by Animal Rising about “how to interact positively with the police”
Animal rights campaigners who say they were wrongly arrested for planning to disrupt the King’s coronation are taking legal action against the Metropolitan Police.
Listen to this article
The group of nine women, aged between 20 and 64, said they were attending a non-violent workshop run by Animal Rising about five miles away from the coronation in May 2023.
They said around “15 to 20 mainly male officers” suggested they were part of Just Stop Oil, who used the same building, and were planning to protest at the coronation.
Represented at the High Court by law firm Hodge Jones & Allen, the group of students, medical professionals and teachers said they were subject to full body searches and detained for as long as 14 hours after being arrested for conspiracy to cause a public nuisance.
The Met Police denies any wrongdoing and is defending the claim.
Read more: Prince William ‘truly saddened’ over death of ex-British Army soldier Nirmal Purja
Read more: Man accused of threatening Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor near Sandringham home faces December trial
Course trainer Louisa Hillwood said the workshop was “ironically” about “how to interact positively with the police” and had been advertised online for weeks.
She said: “They searched all of our belongings and led us outside, handcuffed.
“It was humiliating to be escorted like that into the back of a police van, where we spent many hours outside a station before we were taken in for questioning.
“Most of the women had not interacted with the police in this way before, let alone been arrested, so I felt a heavy responsibility to try to reassure everyone and help them understand their rights.”
Ms Hillwood has launched a CrowdJustice page to raise funds for the legal challenge, which is over the Met Police’s assertion that they had intelligence suggesting they were part of Just Stop Oil.
Lawyers for the group said there was “no intelligence linking the women or Animal Rising to Just Stop Oil”.
Lauren, a medical communications specialist who wished to remain anonymous, said: “I had never been arrested before.
“It sounds naive now, but I always assumed the police were there to help and keep us safe.
“Being released at night, alone as a woman, without a phone and having to find your way home to the other side of London is not right.
“Luckily, I had a partner who helped me, but I feel the police failed us.”
The group also said that each of them remained under investigation until the end of August 2023, when they were handed back their phones and told there was insufficient evidence for further action.
Susie Labinjoh, head of civil liberties at Hodge Jones & Allen, said: “The vast majority of these women suffered a host of issues following the unlawful arrest, including panic attacks, depression, anxiety and paranoia.
“Surprisingly, the Metropolitan Police have denied any wrongdoing, so legal action is the only recourse to justice for these innocent women.”
The Met Police has been contacted for comment.