Cops swoop on Royal Wedding day ‘zombie’

Published: 20th May, 2011
by JOSH LOEB

A WRITER has warned of police “harassment” on the day of the royal wedding and claimed she was arrested, handcuffed and held in a cell for hours because she was “dressed like a zombie”.

Hannah Eiseman-Renyard said she was sitting peacefully in an Oxford Street coffee shop after attending a gay rights “flashmob” protest in Soho when police arrested her for “potential breach of the peace”.

Four others, also wearing scary zombie costumes with blood-style face-paint, were arrested along with the 25-year-old writer and books editor. They were all later released from Belgravia police station without charge.

Ms Eiseman-Renyard said: “At around 11.45am three or four cops came into the Starbucks and asked us to come outside. They lined us up outside the window and informed us we were being stopped and searched. We asked under what grounds, they said Section 60. This meant nothing to us so we asked what it was. They said they had reason to suspect we were going to disturb the peace.”

Under Section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 police can stop and search people they believe may be about to commit a serious offence  or are carrying weapons.

Ms Eiseman-Renyard, who lives in Archway, said police found “nothing more incriminating than cameras, bottles of water, face-paint and books”.

A Met Police spoke­sman did not deny her version of events and said 55 people were arrested on the day of the wedding and five were charged. He suggested she make a formal complaint.

The arrests on April 29 took place at a time when security forces were on high alert for the marriage of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. But while the world’s media were focusing on the happy couple, Ms Eiseman-Renyard had been at a “zombie flashmob” in Soho Square, which was organised by a gay campaign group to highlight the impact of cuts on HIV clinics, hate crime prevention and other services.

She said she had left the event and was quietly sipping a coffee when arrested.

She said: “We were illegally arrested and detained simply because the police didn’t like the look of us. When it comes to battles to fight, I never imagined mine would be the right to dress up like an idiot. Being arrested and detained for nearly four hours is not an expectable, acceptable or legal consequence of wearing fake blood.”

The day after the wedding, Met Assistant Commissioner Lynne Owens said: “When we undertook any action, it was on the basis of intelligence. A number of individuals were arrested who we felt were intent on causing disruption, committing acts of criminality or likely to cause alarm, harassment or distress to the vast majority of people who wanted to come and celebrate this joyous occasion.”