Police Raid Quaker Centre During Pro-Palestine and Climate Justice Meeting

Police repression is a ‘part of life now’, activists say after Quaker centre raid

A group of young women were arrested at a Quaker meeting house in central London on 27 March 2025, during an open meeting of Youth Demand, a pro-Palestine and climate justice movement. The activists had gathered to discuss ending UK government arms sales to Israel and new fossil fuel licensing. The meeting, which had a low turnout of six people, was publicly advertised.

The women were sitting in a circle drinking tea when they were confronted by a large group of police officers. The officers kicked down the door and seized their laptops and phones, leading them away one by one. Three of the women were taken to Bromley police station, while others were held incommunicado at Kingston police station and interrogated in the middle of the night.

The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 stipulates that detainees are permitted an initial phone call, although this right may be delayed in cases relating to serious organised crime, terrorism or espionage. Police officers also conducted overnight raids on the activists’ homes using keys confiscated from the arrestees.

One of those arrested, Ella Grace Taylor, described the aftermath of the raid. She returned to find her room ransacked, with her bed stripped and belongings scattered across the floor. A note left by the police stated that if she wanted to know what had been taken, she would have to visit the police station.

The police are still withholding the women’s phones, laptops and university coursework. Youth Demand reported that police conducted 12 raids targeting its activists over the last week. In addition to the six people detained at the Quaker centre, at least another five members of the group were arrested. The police cited “Operation Vulcan” as the policing operation specifically targeting their supporters.

The activists described a growing sense of fear and paranoia, with nightmares and anxiety triggered by sounds and passing vehicles. The experience has left them feeling that a threshold has been crossed in the level of police repression.

Source: Read the original report