Police under fire for Fortnum and Mason arrests - solicitor Raj Chada slams Met tactics during cuts protests
Published: 31 March 2011
by TOM FOOT
SOLICITORS acting for dozens of demonstrators arrested during Saturday’s occupation of Fortnum & Mason in Piccadilly have criticised police tactics.
Raj Chada, a partner at Hodge Jones and Allen, said the Met had “dispensed with the normal routine” of tape-recorded interviews and simply detained protesters for several hours before bringing a charge. He said no information was given to defence lawyers about why individuals were arrested “apart from the fact that they were part of a group at Fortnum & Mason”.
Mr Chada added: “We are seeking urgent information from the CPS [Crown Prosecution Service] about certain aspects of the case against our clients. On the information we have to date, many of them should not have been arrested, let alone face the anguish of court proceedings several weeks away.”
Alistair Lyon, from Birnberg Peirce in Camden Town, said he feared the Met was “confusing political anger with criminality”.
Fortnum & Mason was targeted by UK Uncut because it is part-owned by Wittington Investments, which the group claims indulges in widespread tax avoidance. A Met Police spokesman said: “Aggravated trespass is one of the laws of the land and it’s our job to identify and provide evidence for the CPS.”