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THE policing of protests came under scrutiny today after prosecutors dropped charges against a pacifist peace campaigner.
Peace Pledge Union (PPU) campaigns manager Symon Hill was accused of obstructing the highway during a protest against the Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) arms fair at the Excel Centre, London in September.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) dropped the charges today as Mr Hill was about to stand trial at Stratford Magistrates Court in London.
Mr Hill’s barrister, Leila Mezoughi, had argued that the road was already blocked by other protesters when he stepped onto it and therefore no case could be made against him.
The campaigner said he was now seeking legal advice on challenging the legality of his arrest as the decision “makes clear” that he should not have been arrested at all.
Mr Hill said his arrest seems to have happened because a police officer became frustrated with his questions when he accused the pacifist of “breaching the peace.”
He also claims that the officer who arrested him subsequently lied in his witness statement about his behaviour and language.
Mr Hill said: “Will the police be allowed to get away with arresting someone simply because they don’t like the questions they’re asking?
“If I saw someone being murdered in the street, it would be immoral to ignore it. The same principle holds true even when killers wear suits and their victims are far away.
“I have joined protests, lobbied MPs and been part of court cases about the arms trade. As a pacifist, I believe it’s sometimes necessary to go further and put my body in the way of injustice. Because I am a pacifist, I can’t be passive.”
The PPU has questioned the waste of public money in the five months since the arrest took place, during which Mr Hill was required to attend court three times while the CPS pursued the case at taxpayers’ expense.
Mr Hill was one of more than 100 people arrested while peacefully resisting the arms fair.
Supporters from the PPU, the Campaign Against Arms Trade and other groups gathered outside the court ahead of the hearing in solidarity, despite the snowfall.
