> A leading French publisher has been arrested by British police while travelling to the London Book Fair on suspicion of terror offences related to his participation in the protests against pension reform in France, according to publishing house Editions La Fabrique.
>
> Editions La Fabrique released a statement denouncing the “scandalous treatment” of Ernest Moret, and announced a protest to be held outside the French embassy in London tonight.
>
> Mr Moret was detained under section 7 of the Terrorism Act, ordered to hand over security codes to his personal devices, detained without access to a lawyer, and questioned about his participation in the protests against President Emmannuel Macron’s raising of the pension age, according to his employer.
>
> “We consider these actions to be outrageous and unjustifiable infringements of basic principles of freedom of expression and an example of the abuse of anti-terror laws,” the publishers said.
>
> A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police was unable to immediately confirm the account. The French embassy in the UK did not respond to a request for comment.
>
> Mr Moret is a leading figure in the French publishing world as the foreign rights manager for the radical left Editions La Fabrique and popular science-fiction author Alain Damasio. He was due to hold dozens of meetings around the London Book Fair, one of the most prestigious literary events in the UK.
>
> The London Book Fair opens today with a series of events, including “Guest Spotlight Ukraine”, focused on the Ukrainian publishing industry, featuring an appearance from Ukraine’s first lady, Olena Zelenska, and minister of culture, Oleksandr Tkachenko.
>
> Many prominent figures from the literary world have protested against Mr Moret’s detention.
>
> International writer’s association PEN wrote: “Deeply concerned by the detention of Ernest Moret of French publisher La Fabrique, held since yesterday on counterterrorism grounds… We join calls for his immediate release.”
>
> A representative for the London Book Fair told i: “This is an ongoing police investigation, the London Book Fair cannot comment at this time.”
This seems fucking insane.
So you can get arrested
Forced to give all your passcodes for tech over
Questioned
And all without access to a lawyer
This is one of those slippery slopes that everyone said didn’t exist like 10 years ago. And here we are.
What happens if you refuse to give over your password ?
Book Editor arrested on terrorism charges after taking part in anti-government protests?
What is this, Iran? Also, why is he detained with no right to a lawyer?!
I bet Suella Braverman and the government are involved. Police contacts the Home Secretary before launching any Counter-Terrorism operation in London.
This is straight up harrasment, if they think he is going to incite mass protest in this country they are sadly misinformed about the british public.
So was this a request from the French government or did the UK police just really have a bone to pick with this guy about his behavior and opinions on French retirement and pensions? This seems like a pretty extreme overreaction.
Absolutely terrible and terrifying.
If this was a brown man, this wouldn’t be getting half the publicity it is. Which is why it’s so important to stand up against state overreach against anyone, including the people you don’t like.
Unfortunately, I only see things getting worse. Notice how there’s zero coverage of the French protests on mainstream media, yet it’s all I see on TikTok live (nothing on instagram or Facebook though 🤔).
7 comments
> By Kieron Monks
> A leading French publisher has been arrested by British police while travelling to the London Book Fair on suspicion of terror offences related to his participation in the protests against pension reform in France, according to publishing house Editions La Fabrique.
>
> Editions La Fabrique released a statement denouncing the “scandalous treatment” of Ernest Moret, and announced a protest to be held outside the French embassy in London tonight.
>
> Mr Moret was detained under section 7 of the Terrorism Act, ordered to hand over security codes to his personal devices, detained without access to a lawyer, and questioned about his participation in the protests against President Emmannuel Macron’s raising of the pension age, according to his employer.
>
> “We consider these actions to be outrageous and unjustifiable infringements of basic principles of freedom of expression and an example of the abuse of anti-terror laws,” the publishers said.
>
> A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police was unable to immediately confirm the account. The French embassy in the UK did not respond to a request for comment.
>
> Mr Moret is a leading figure in the French publishing world as the foreign rights manager for the radical left Editions La Fabrique and popular science-fiction author Alain Damasio. He was due to hold dozens of meetings around the London Book Fair, one of the most prestigious literary events in the UK.
>
> The London Book Fair opens today with a series of events, including “Guest Spotlight Ukraine”, focused on the Ukrainian publishing industry, featuring an appearance from Ukraine’s first lady, Olena Zelenska, and minister of culture, Oleksandr Tkachenko.
>
> Many prominent figures from the literary world have protested against Mr Moret’s detention.
>
> International writer’s association PEN wrote: “Deeply concerned by the detention of Ernest Moret of French publisher La Fabrique, held since yesterday on counterterrorism grounds… We join calls for his immediate release.”
>
> A representative for the London Book Fair told i: “This is an ongoing police investigation, the London Book Fair cannot comment at this time.”
This seems fucking insane.
So you can get arrested
Forced to give all your passcodes for tech over
Questioned
And all without access to a lawyer
This is one of those slippery slopes that everyone said didn’t exist like 10 years ago. And here we are.
What happens if you refuse to give over your password ?
Book Editor arrested on terrorism charges after taking part in anti-government protests?
What is this, Iran? Also, why is he detained with no right to a lawyer?!
I bet Suella Braverman and the government are involved. Police contacts the Home Secretary before launching any Counter-Terrorism operation in London.
This is straight up harrasment, if they think he is going to incite mass protest in this country they are sadly misinformed about the british public.
So was this a request from the French government or did the UK police just really have a bone to pick with this guy about his behavior and opinions on French retirement and pensions? This seems like a pretty extreme overreaction.
Absolutely terrible and terrifying.
If this was a brown man, this wouldn’t be getting half the publicity it is. Which is why it’s so important to stand up against state overreach against anyone, including the people you don’t like.
Unfortunately, I only see things getting worse. Notice how there’s zero coverage of the French protests on mainstream media, yet it’s all I see on TikTok live (nothing on instagram or Facebook though 🤔).