Police arrest Palestine protesters over plans to shut down London Stock Exchange
The plan was said to involve two activists, armed with fire extinguishers filled with red paint - CHRIS J RATCLIFFE/BLOOMBERG Police have arrested six pro-Palestine protesters over plans to shut down the London Stock Exchange[1] on Monday morning. Scotland Yard said three men and three women, allegedly belonging to Palestine Action[2], have been arrested in Liverpool, Brighton and London after the group's apparent plan to block the entrance of the exchange was exposed in an undercover newspaper investigation.
The plan was said to involve two activists, armed with fire extinguishers filled with red paint, to climb on a pair of revolving doors at the building's entrance and chain their necks to it with bike locks, the Sunday Express reported. Other activists would lock themselves together in front of the main and back entrances and fire fake bank notes painted red to represent blood from "money guns". These alleged plans came to light after a Sunday Express reporter posed as members of the group and reported them to the police.
The Met confirmed they had arrested six people on suspicion of conspiracy to commit criminal damage following a joint investigation with Merseyside Police. A 31-year-old man, and two women, aged 28 and 26, were arrested in Liverpool alongside a 23-year-old man in Tower Hamlets, east London, a 29-year-old woman in Brent, north-west London and a 27-year-old man in Brighton. Detective Superintendent Sian Thomas said: "These are significant arrests.
We believe this group was ready to carry out a disruptive and damaging stunt which could have had serious implications had it been carried out successfully. "I'm grateful to the Express for their willingness to provide the information gleaned from their own investigation. It was instrumental in helping us intervene successfully.
"Having only been provided with the material on Friday afternoon we had limited time to act. "It is thanks to the determined efforts from our public order crime team and our colleagues in Merseyside that we were able to identify, locate and arrest those we suspect to be involved in this plot. "Mindful of the suggestion that this was one part of a planned week of action, we are in contact with the City of London Police as well as other forces across the UK to ensure that appropriate resources are in place to deal with any disruption in the coming days."
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References
- ^ London Stock Exchange (www.telegraph.co.uk)
- ^ Palestine Action (www.telegraph.co.uk)
- ^ Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism.
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