Workers Party of Britain @WorkersPartyGB PARTY STATEMENT ON RELEASE OF GEORGE AND GAYATRI GALLOWAY
Our party condemns the attempt to intimidate those who seek amity rather than enmity with the rest of the world.
Our leader @georgegalloway and our deputy chair @GayatriGalloway have now been released without charge.
There was never any chance of an offence.
We were obstructed from providing legal support and the conduct of the affair has been designed to intimidate political opponents of the drive towards war with Russia and China.
A fuller account will be given, tomorrow night so be sure to watch and follow @MoatsTV for the full account.
...the best part of 35 years ago, I got "detained" in an empty office at Heathrow for about 90 minutes after returning from my first trip to the US. On having my holdall searched, they found my copy of Chairman Mao's Little Red Book which they seemed to get a bit excited about. After the 90 minutes, a bod came and apologised for the delay and let me out. The fuckers stole my 10 cans of Coors Extra Gold, though, and my fags. In any case, it was the last time I traveled with any "alternative" political literature.
This was at the time when they were going hard about the never leave your luggage alone at any time when you are flying, and I have to say, I got pretty nervous thinking about that as I waited in that room as I had indeed left my holdall alone, several times at JFK as I went for a pish after drinking a couple of beers at an airport bar. Never did that again.
"I won't dignify the attacker's words by repeating them, they are horrific and vile."
Counter-terror cops detained George Galloway and his wife Gayatri at Gatwick Airport on Saturday 27 September, in the latest crackdown on anti-genocide speech. George and Gayatri Galloway: held under counter-terror laws
George Galloway has been a consistent and fierce critic of the Zionist regime in Israel. In 2014, he was attacked by a far-right Zionist in London. Over the years, his position on Israel has made him a target of mainstream politicians and the Zionist lobby. But now, it seems that Galloway has been caught up in the current state crackdown on pro-Palestinian voices.
The Workers Party of which he founded put out a statement at 4:30pm on 27 September. It said:
At 11am we were informed by police officers in Gatwick that our party leader George Galloway and his wife have been detained at the airport…
The police agreed that they would pass a message to our comrades from us and pass back a reply from them.
Despite repeated attempts to gather further information, and despite repeated calls to the police, we have no further information on their wellbeing, nor on the observation of their Rights.
There is no information on charges or alleged offences. Therefore we may conclude this is politically motivated intimidation.
We call on all supporters and friends to amplify this message and demand the IMMEDIATE RELEASE of our leaders.
Skwawkbox noted that:
Galloway and his wife were detained by police at Gatwick airport incommunicado – despite a police promise to party workers to pass a message to him and obtain a wellbeing update – almost certainly under Keir Starmer’s abuse of anti-terror laws to arrest, harass and seize the devices of anti-genocide journalists and activists.
It is unclear why Galloway and his wife were detailed, although they were on their way back from Moscow.
The Met Police said:
We can confirm that on Saturday, counter-terrorism officers at Gatwick airport stopped a man in his 70s and a woman in her 40s under schedule 3 of the Counter Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019.
Neither of them were arrested and they were allowed on their way.
State oppression
George Galloway joins a growing list of pro-Palestine, anti-Zionist voices that the state has targeted.
As the Canary previously reported, on 17 May 2023 six cops also detained Grayzone journalist Kit Klarenberg – again under counter-terror laws, but this time the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act (2019). This seemingly was due to Klarenberg’s work at the Grayzone, which is an anti-imperialist outlet. Also in 2023, cops similarly detained Craig Murray.
Journalists Richard Medhurst and Sarah Wilkinson have also been targeted – as has Ali Abunimah of the Electronic Intifada. And all this is against the backdrop of the state’s repression of Palestine Action – and therefore, be default, Defend Our Juries.
As Skwawkbox said:
The Starmer regime’s ever-escalating war on free speech, protest rights and resistance to Israeli genocide and apartheid has kicked up another notch, with the forcible detention of a rival party leader. If there was any room for doubt that fascism is here in the UK, it just disappeared.
George Galloway and Gayatri’s detention will not be the last time the state targets anti-Zionist voices – and it may not be the last time it targets the Galloways, either.The last working-class hero in England. Clio the cat, ? July 1997 - 1 May 2016 Kira the cat, ? ? 2010 - 3 August 2018 Jasper the Ruffian cat ??? - 4 November 2021 Georgina the cat ???-4 December 2025
Re: Canary report
Posted by ceemac666 on September 29, 2025, 7:57 am, in reply to "Canary report"
What,s caused Skwawkbox to team up with the Canary?Seemed to me they were doing a better job on their own.
Re: Canary report
Posted by Keith-264 on September 29, 2025, 2:17 pm, in reply to "Re: Canary report"
Money?The last working-class hero in England. Clio the cat, ? July 1997 - 1 May 2016 Kira the cat, ? ? 2010 - 3 August 2018 Jasper the Ruffian cat ??? - 4 November 2021 Georgina the cat ???-4 December 2025
on September 27, 2025, 6:54 pm