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| Activists condemn arrest of Tibetan pair for waving flag at Xi Jinping motorcade | Activists condemn arrest of Tibetan pair for waving flag at Xi Jinping motorcade |
| (34 minutes later) | |
| Tibetan activists in Britain said they were appalled that two Tibetan women were arrested and had their homes searched for merely waving a flag at a motorcade carrying China’s president, Xi Jinping. | |
| The lawyer for the arrested women – Sonam Choden, 31, and Jamphel Lhamo, 33 – said in 40 years of legal experience he had never heard of people being arrested under public order laws just for flag-waving. | |
| Police arrested the pair on Wednesday evening outside Mansion House in London, where a reception was being held for Xi during his state visit to the UK. Police said the women were suspected “of conspiracy to commit threatening behaviour”. | |
| At the same event an exiled Chinese dissident and survivor of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, Shao Jiang, was also arrested after being tackled as he ran towards Xi’s car. It is understood that Choden and Lhamo were only waving a Tibetan flag when arrested. | At the same event an exiled Chinese dissident and survivor of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, Shao Jiang, was also arrested after being tackled as he ran towards Xi’s car. It is understood that Choden and Lhamo were only waving a Tibetan flag when arrested. |
| While in custody, both their homes were searched, and computer equipment seized. The same happened to Shao. | |
| Their lawyer, Bill Nash of BSB Solicitors, said he had never previously heard of people undertaking a peaceful protest being arrested under section 5 of the Public Order Act, which concerns threatening or abusive behaviour. | Their lawyer, Bill Nash of BSB Solicitors, said he had never previously heard of people undertaking a peaceful protest being arrested under section 5 of the Public Order Act, which concerns threatening or abusive behaviour. |
| “My clients were arrested for what was a peaceful and what many would see as a legitimate non-violent protest concerning the treatment of their country by the Chinese regime,” he said. | “My clients were arrested for what was a peaceful and what many would see as a legitimate non-violent protest concerning the treatment of their country by the Chinese regime,” he said. |
| “Despite the fact that no one suggests that any violence was contemplated or offered a decision was taken to further arrest for an offence of conspiracy to contravene section 5 of the Public Order Act of 1986. In over 40 years of legal practice I have never previously heard of an arrest for such an offence. | “Despite the fact that no one suggests that any violence was contemplated or offered a decision was taken to further arrest for an offence of conspiracy to contravene section 5 of the Public Order Act of 1986. In over 40 years of legal practice I have never previously heard of an arrest for such an offence. |
| “This smacks of overreaction to a considerable degree. Perhaps it is time that we should focus some of our concentration on our own civil liberties at the same time as we criticise others for their stance on human rights.” | “This smacks of overreaction to a considerable degree. Perhaps it is time that we should focus some of our concentration on our own civil liberties at the same time as we criticise others for their stance on human rights.” |
| Police said in a statement they had reason to believe the arrested women were connected to Shao and that all three were conspiring to commit threatening behaviour. However, Tibetan groups said this was not true. | |
| “This was a spontaneous protest, and there was no link between the Tibetan women and Shao Jiang,” said Padma Dolma from Students for a Free Tibet. “It’s simply not true for the police to say they were conspiring to do anything threatening. In our experience that is a common police tactic to stop people protesting.” | |
| Shao on Friday tweeted a photograph of his bail condiitions, showing he is not allowed within a mile of Heathrow airport; the prime minister’s country residence, Chequers; or within 100 metres of Xi, to “prevent further harassment of the victim”. | |
| Goodbye #XiJinping ! pic.twitter.com/TPZ3snUPlI | |
| In a joint statement released by the Tibetan Community in Britain group, the women said they “never expected to be arrested or to have to spend 24 hours in police custody” just for waving a flag. | In a joint statement released by the Tibetan Community in Britain group, the women said they “never expected to be arrested or to have to spend 24 hours in police custody” just for waving a flag. |
| Tsering Passang, its chairman, said: “While I welcome Sonam and Jamphel’s release, these two Tibetan women should never have been arrested in the first place. | Tsering Passang, its chairman, said: “While I welcome Sonam and Jamphel’s release, these two Tibetan women should never have been arrested in the first place. |
| “The Metropolitan police have completely overreacted to Sonam and Jamphel’s small and spontaneous protest. I am appalled that their homes were searched in the night of 21 October while they were in police custody. Any belongings of theirs confiscated, such as laptops, phones and USB sticks, should be immediately returned.” | |
| The Met said the arrest under the Public Order Act was separate to the flag waving, and “to suggest we were doing anything but the regular police work associated with public order and ceremonial events is wrong”. | The Met said the arrest under the Public Order Act was separate to the flag waving, and “to suggest we were doing anything but the regular police work associated with public order and ceremonial events is wrong”. |
| A police spokesperson said Shao was suspected of “having breached a secure area” around the motorcade. “Initial investigations revealed a suspected connection to two other persons who were also arrested to prevent a breach of the peace. The arrest to prevent a breach of the peace is made under common law. | |
| “Further information gathered by officers during these initial stages of the investigation led officers to suspect that an offence of conspiracy to commit threatening behaviour had been committed (contrary to section 1 of the Criminal Law Act 1977 and section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986) so the individuals were further arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit threatening behaviour. | |
| “The homes of the arrested persons were searched for evidence in relation to the suspected offence of conspiracy to commit threatening behaviour by virtue of section 18 of the Police & Criminal Evidence Act. | “The homes of the arrested persons were searched for evidence in relation to the suspected offence of conspiracy to commit threatening behaviour by virtue of section 18 of the Police & Criminal Evidence Act. |
| “All three persons have now been bailed to return to a London police station at a later date whilst investigations continue. Throughout the state visit, the Metropolitan police service has facilitated peaceful protest at all the various events and ceremonies.” | “All three persons have now been bailed to return to a London police station at a later date whilst investigations continue. Throughout the state visit, the Metropolitan police service has facilitated peaceful protest at all the various events and ceremonies.” |