Quakers welcome interfaith letter after police raid on Westminster meeting house
Quakers in Britain have welcomed strong support from other faiths after the police raid on Westminster Quaker meeting house in March.
The open letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, signed by 20 UK faith organisations, raises serious concerns about the incident.
Coordinated by Nicola Brady, general secretary of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI), the letter calls on the government to review the laws that allowed police to enter a place of worship.
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The peaceful expressions of moral conviction that these laws aim to limit are, for many of us, an inextricable part of our faith
- CTBI interfaith letter
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Six people were arrested during the raid. They had gathered for a peaceful, introductory meeting of the nonviolent group Youth Demand.
The letter says this kind of police action threatens the role of places of worship which are spaces of sanctuary, welcome, and safety.
The raid was enabled by laws that have been introduced in the last few years and that are being used to suppress nonviolent protest movements, the letter says.
Those signing the letter want the law to underpin an open democratic society rather than being used to silence discussion.
The letter said: “That the laws intended to limit and criminalise protest have now been the basis of a police raid on a place of worship is not an unforeseeable side effect; the peaceful expressions of moral conviction that these laws aim to limit are, for many of us, an inextricable part of our faith."
Signatories, including Indarjit Singh of the Network of Sikh Organisations and Zara Mohammed of the Muslim Council of Britain, represent Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist and interfaith groups.
The raid has sparked concern across faith communities. Over 300 people gathered outside New Scotland Yard for a Quaker Meeting for Worship after the raid.
And Churches Together in England wrote to Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley.
Paul Parker, recording clerk for Quakers in Britain, said: “Quakers know that real peace requires space for truth to be spoken. That includes truth that challenges power.
“The interfaith support we've seen reminds us that respect for peaceful dissent is vital in any democracy."
The letter calls for:
- A public commitment to protect freedom of expression and assembly.
- An independent investigation into the raid, including its legal basis and proportionality.
- A review of the laws that allowed police to act against a peaceful gathering in a place of worship.