The background is that 20 Metropolitan Police broke in to the Westminster Quaker Meeting House on 27 March and arrested six young people holding a meeting over concerns for the climate and Gaza. In a statement, Recording clerk Paul Parker condemned the “aggressive violation of our place of worship” as the clear result of what happens when a society criminalises protest.

Calling it a disproportionate response to legitimate concerns, Quakers have called for restoration our right to protest and said we need to hear dissenting voices with respect. On 3 April Friends held a silent vigil outside Scotland Yard. There is a summary of extensive media coverage here. Private Eye was first with the joke of police uttering the words “you have the right to remain silent”.

Bath Quakers held a Threshing Meeting on Sunday 6^th April. These relatively rare special meetings for reflection and discernment are arranged when a potentially contentious or controversial issue needs to be addressed.

Our minute is given below:

“The Meeting considered how to respond to the police raid on Westminster Meeting House on 27th March, drawing on information about the event previously circulated by our Correspondence Clerk. The raid increases our concern for how the use of increased powers under the Policy, Crimes, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, and the Public Order Act 2023 are having a chilling effect and threaten to curtail those moved to meet openly to explore options for peaceful protest. In response we continue to support those individuals (Quakers and non-Quakers) whose conscience leads them both to consider and to undertake non-violent protest. We also support Quakers in Britain’s critical engagement with the Government about the aforementioned Acts. We ask our Clerks to write to the Home Secretary and MPs, requesting that they also take steps to revisit and revise this legislation so as to uphold the right to peaceful protest.”

Report compiled by William Heath and Jane Stephenson