Animal rights campaigners who say they were wrongly arrested while allegedly planning to disrupt the King’s Coronation are taking legal action against the Metropolitan Police.
The group of nine women, aged between 20 and 64, said they were attending a non-violent workshop organised by Animal Rising around five miles from the Coronation site in May 2023.
They claimed that around “15 to 20 mainly male officers” wrongly suspected them of being linked to Just Stop Oil, which had used the same building, and accused them of planning a protest at the Coronation.
Represented at the High Court by law firm Hodge Jones & Allen, the group, including students, medical professionals and teachers, said they were subjected to full-body searches and held for up to 14 hours after being arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance.
The Met Police denies any wrongdoing and is defending the claim.
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.
