Animal rights campaigners take legal action against Met Police over 'wrongful' Coronation Day arrests

Nine animal rights campaigners are pursuing legal action against the Metropolitan Police, alleging they were wrongfully arrested during the King's Coronation in May 2023.

The women, ranging in age from 20 to 64, claim officers mistakenly identified them as members of Just Stop Oil while they attended a non-violent workshop organised by Animal Rising.

The group, which includes students, medical professionals and teachers, is being represented at the High Court by Hodge Jones & Allen. Their lawyers maintain there was "no intelligence linking the women or Animal Rising to Just Stop Oil".

The Met Police denies any wrongdoing and is contesting the claim. The women were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance.

The Animal Rising workshop took place roughly five miles from the Coronation ceremony itself. According to the group, between 15 and 20 officers, described as predominantly male, entered the premises and accused them of being affiliated with Just Stop Oil, which had been using the same building.

The women claim they were subjected to full body searches before being detained for periods of up to 14 hours after their arrest. Each of them remained under investigation for several months, only receiving their phones back at the end of August 2023, when they were informed there was insufficient evidence to pursue further action.

A CrowdJustice fundraising page has been set up to support the legal challenge, which centres on the Met's claim that intelligence linked the group to Just Stop Oil.

Course trainer Louisa Hillwood noted that the session was "ironically" focused on "how to interact positively with the police" and had been publicly advertised online for weeks beforehand.

She said: "They searched all of our belongings and led us outside, handcuffed."

Ms Hillwood described the experience as humiliating, recounting how the group was placed into the back of a police van and left waiting for hours outside a station before being taken in for questioning.

She said: "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."

For many in the group, it was their first encounter with the criminal justice system. Lauren, a medical communications specialist who asked not to be fully identified, said she had never previously been arrested.

She said: "It sounds naive now, but I always assumed the police were there to help and keep us safe."

Lauren recounted being let go at night, alone and without her phone, forced to navigate her way back across London: "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 entire group remained under police investigation until late August 2023, at which point their devices were returned and they were told the evidence was insufficient to take matters further.

Susie Labinjoh, head of civil liberties at Hodge Jones & Allen, said the arrests had lasting consequences for the women involved.

She said: "The vast majority of these women suffered a host of issues following the unlawful arrest, including panic attacks, depression, anxiety and paranoia."

Ms Labinjoh described the Met's refusal to accept responsibility as unexpected, stating that legal proceedings were now the group's sole avenue for redress.

She said: "Surprisingly, the Metropolitan Police have denied any wrongdoing, so legal action is the only recourse to justice for these innocent women."

The force continues to defend the claim and maintains it acted appropriately.

The Met Police declined to comment when contacted by GB News.

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