【By Observer Net, Liu Bai】

"It's absurd that someone with some public influence like me could be stopped by armed police at a British airport!" On September 28, George Galloway, a former British Labour Party MP who has repeatedly spoken out for China, criticized on a program.

On that day, George Galloway was emotionally agitated in the opening remarks of his show "The Mother of All Talk Shows." He revealed that he and his wife were detained by the police for nine hours at London Gatwick Airport on September 27 after arriving from Moscow via Abu Dhabi. During this time, their mobile phones and laptops were confiscated, and the police asked about his views on Russia and China, but no reason for detention was given.

According to The Independent, Galloway said he came to Britain to attend an event in London and give a speech, which was expected to have the Chinese ambassador present. He criticized the police detaining him as "unjustified," stating that the only purpose was "to obtain our communication content."

According to the London police, the police detained Galloway and his wife Putri Gayatri Pertiwi under the Anti-Terrorism Act, and then allowed them to leave.

George Galloway recounts his experience on a podcast

In the opening monologue of "The Mother of All Talk Shows," Galloway angrily stated that the police had asked about his views on Russia and China.

"In a British airport, they used armed police to detain me and her in public without even attempting to explain the reason for the detention," he told the audience. "If they can detain me at a British airport under the Anti-Terrorism Act, what safety do you have left?"

He revealed that the police's questions were "extremely broad," even asking about his wife's nails painted in the colors of the Palestinian flag.

"If they think they can intimidate me, they are not qualified to be counter-terrorism police, not even close to the door of MI5! Even death cannot scare me."

"There is only one reason for detaining us under that law, which is to access our communication content, confiscate our mobile phones and laptops, and look into our private communications in any way possible!"

"It's absurd that someone like me, who has some public influence, could be stopped by armed police at a British airport!"

"My wife and I were detained for nine hours," he said, "I missed the event I was supposed to attend in London, and then had to return by train in a tired state, without a phone or laptop, unable to contact the outside world, unable to call my family, companions, friends, or any lawyer."

The London Police Force issued a statement saying, "We can confirm that on September 27 (Saturday), anti-terrorism police at Gatwick Airport intercepted a man over 70 years old and a woman in her 40s under Chapter 3 of the 2019 Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act."

"Both were not arrested and were eventually allowed to leave."

This act grants police, immigration officers, and customs officials the power to intercept individuals to determine whether the intercepted person is "engaged in hostile activities that threaten the national security or economic well-being of the UK."

Currently 71 years old, Galloway was a former British Labour Party member of parliament, serving in the House of Commons for nearly 30 years. He is also a well-known host and media personality, hosting television and radio programs on multiple platforms, and has over 830,000 followers on the social media platform X.

Moreover, Galloway is a well-known leftist figure in Britain, holding firm anti-war and anti-imperialist positions, and has repeatedly spoken out publicly for China, Russia, and other Third World countries, making him a rare voice in Western politics.

For example, during the recent Hong Kong "amendment storm," Galloway always spoke out clearly. He criticized the entire West for trying to weaken China with this issue, and would make a big deal out of any issues that could split China or hinder its development.

When extreme elements in Hong Kong used extremely violent methods to attack and destroy the Legislative Council, even raising the colonial-era British Hong Kong flag inside the building, he directly stated that it was a provocation involving the British government and foreign funding, "If you have the nerve to smash the parliament in the UK and raise the Russian flag, try it!"

On the topic of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, Galloway still speaks boldly, directly pointing out that the source of the conflict lies with NATO. His own Twitter account was even labeled as "Russian official media" at one point.

In March 2023, he discussed China's democratic achievements and the hypocrisy of Western democracy on "The Mother of All Talk Shows," stating that after 25 years, he had returned to Beijing again and found that China had undergone a complete transformation. In terms of specific democratic practices, Galloway believes the concept of "whole-process people's democracy" proposed by China is highly persuasive, being the most extensive, genuine, and effective form of democracy, while the democratic system of Western countries is merely superficial.

This February, he criticized the baseless smear campaigns against Xinjiang on CGTN's commentary program "First Voice."

"The West doesn't like the Chinese very much, nor do they like Muslims. But they love the Muslim Chinese," Galloway believed that people would not be deceived by the 'Xinjiang card' of the West again, because "fool me once, it's your fault; fool me twice, it's my stupidity." As for the lies themselves, they are just "a pile of paper."

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Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7555310090989404706/

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