A leading French publisher who was arrested by police in the UK over links to anti-government protests in Paris said he was quizzed over his political opinions in an ‘attack on freedom of expression’.
Ernest Moret, 28, was detained by the Met Police at St Pancras station in London on Monday evening under terror legislation for allegedly taking part in demonstrations in France against Emmanuel Macron’s controversial pension reforms.
His employers said he was questioned ‘without a lawyer present’, allegedly to determine whether ‘he was engaged in terrorist acts or in possession of material for use in terrorism’. He was held for nearly 24 hours, his phone and laptop seized.
France has been shaken by protests and strikes in response to Macron’s controversial decision to push through already contentious pension reforms without consulting the lower house of parliament. Some of the nationwide protests have turned violent.
