British politicians were detained by British police for 9 hours and questioned about their views on China
September 28th news: Former UK Labour Party MP George Galloway and his wife were detained by the police at London Gatwick Airport for nine hours based on the Anti-Terrorism and Border Security Act.
The couple had returned from Moscow via Abu Dhabi, preparing to attend a public event in London.
Galloway revealed that the police confiscated their mobile phones and laptops without giving a specific reason, and repeatedly asked about his views on Russia and China during the interrogation, even questioning the color scheme of the Palestinian flag on his wife's nail polish.
From the statement of the UK police, they only emphasized that the action was carried out according to Schedule 3 of the Anti-Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019, stating that the two were not arrested and were allowed to leave after the interrogation.
However, the police did not give a direct explanation for why they questioned the political stance.
Galloway angrily denounced it as a pretext of counter-terrorism for surveillance, with the purpose of obtaining his communication information.
In recent years, there have been multiple cases in the UK where the anti-terrorism provisions have been abused to intercept journalists, scholars, and dissidents at the border and airports.
Schedule 3 allows law enforcement agencies to detain individuals for extended periods and search their devices without arrest or specific suspicion.
The law was originally intended to target terrorism, but has been used to target people with non-mainstream political views, thereby undermining the political diversity and freedom of speech in British society.
If the original purpose of the counter-terrorism law is to protect society from threats, then now questioning a former MP about his views on China shows more of a political manipulation.
This also reveals that some people in the West have become completely deranged.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1844578658422788/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.