Civil resistance group Take Back Power called it a ‘Draconian overreach’
Fifteen activists from a group which claimed to be behind stunts targeting the Ritz and the Crown Jewels have been arrested on suspicion of planning a mass shoplifting campaign, police said.
The Metropolitan Police said that members of Take Back Power had been planning a campaign to steal from supermarkets before redistributing the goods, according to PA.
Activists gathered at the Quaker Meeting House in Westminster on Thursday evening to take part in “non-violent direct action training”, the force said.
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Officers halted the meeting and 15 people were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit theft. One man was bailed and the others were taken into custody.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner James Harman said: “There is a clear difference between lawful protest and criminal acts.
“This evening’s operation tackled a group who we have grounds to suspect were planning to steal from shops in a large, targeted and organised way.
“Theft is a crime and the public expect the police to deal with it – which is exactly what we have done today.”
Take Back Power, which describes itself as a non-violent civil resistance group, claimed it was behind a stunt which saw apple crumble and custard thrown at a display case containing the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London in December.
Days before that, activists from the group targeted the Ritz Hotel by emptying bags of manure next to its Christmas tree. The group has called for a citizen-led assembly that has the power to tax the rich.
Scotland Yard faced criticism for its arrest of six Youth Demand activists at an event at the Quaker Meeting House in March last year.
More than 30 police officers were involved in the action and the Quakers in Britain group condemned the arrests, saying they were the first at a meeting house “in living memory”.
Mr Harman said after Thursday’s arrests: “While we reflected carefully on those previous concerns before approving tonight’s operation, and took steps to ensure we caused minimal disruption, we ultimately felt we had no choice but to act.
“We cannot get into a situation where groups planning criminal acts can escape police action simply by booking rooms in certain venues. The criminal investigation will now continue.”
A Take Back Power spokesperson said: “The police arrested 15 ordinary people in a place of worship for discussing non-violent civil disobedience.
“This draconian overreach shows what the state is willing to do to protect corporate profits and billionaires, while ordinary people struggle to put food on the table.
“The state is scared of civil disobedience because it works. But when the super-rich have captured our politics, non-violent civil disobedience is the only choice we have to take back our power.”