Westminster Quaker Meeting House Police Raid

Westminster Citizens have written to Rachel Blake MP, the Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan to raise concerns about the police raid at the Quaker Meeting House on 27th March 2025

Please see the full copy of the letter here, and email lucy.gardner@citizensuk.org with any questions of if you would like to add your name.

Wednesday 2nd April 2025

Dear Rachel Blake MP, Yvette Cooper MP and Sadiq Khan,

We are Westminster Citizens, an alliance of faith, educational, and charitable organisations, part of London Citizens and national organising charity, Citizens UK. We are a grassroots, diverse and connected community who work together to take action to end inequality and create a thriving, safe and caring Westminster for all who live, work, worship and study here.

The Westminster Quaker Meeting is a member of Westminster Citizens, and we are writing this letter to condemn the police raid that took place at the Westminster Quaker Meeting house last Thursday night (27 March 2025).

The Meeting House is a place of worship and reflection, as well as a building used by the local community. On the night in question there were a variety of meetings taking place, including therapy sessions, a life drawing class, people working in the building & an event by a nonviolent protest group. The entry doors both had bells, and yet neither were used by the police. Rather, between 20 to 30 police officers forced entry into the building and entered every room - including therapy sessions & the residential flat above the Meeting House.

We would like to raise serious questions about this police action; particularly the damage to a historic building of peace, the breaking of glass in doors, the confiscation of equipment and computers, and most shockingly the threat and use of force against people. In our view it is totally disproportionate to commit such actions in any building, let alone a Quaker building. The Quakers are well known and highly regarded for their commitment to active nonviolence. This raid has caused huge amounts of stress and fear amongst the Quaker community, and the many different groups that use their Meeting House.

We stand with Westminster Quakers in their outrage at this event, but more than this we want to express solidarity with all religious communities seeking to meet peacefully for worship in London. Our alliance includes churches, mosques and synagogues, and we are deeply concerned at the way in which the police acted in this instance, and the implications it has for other religious communities that we work with. We act, advocate, and organise for the safety and security of all in our community - religious or not, and are saddened that recent police actions have caused us to doubt they can be part of ensuring this.

We ask that you clearly condemn this police raid, as well as for reassurance that steps will be taken to ensure that future police responses to religious & non religious communities are proportionate and appropriate.

Yours sincerely,

Westminster Citizens;

Laurence Hall, Westminster Quakers

The Revd Dr Simon Woodman, Minister, Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church

Louise Johnston, Student, City of Westminster College, Paddington

The Revd Lucy Winkett, Rector, St James’s Church, Piccadilly

Yael Roberts Director of Community & Adult Education, Westminster Synagogue

Mahmudul Chowdhury, St James’s Church Piccadilly

Claire Wright, Warden, St James’s Church Piccadilly

Tchansia Kone, St James’s Church Piccadilly

Andy Pitchford, Head of the Centre for Education and Teaching Innovation, University of Westminster

Hilde Stephansen, Senior Lecturer, University of Westminster

Meriem Katlan, Student, University of Westminster

Matty Ferguson, Student, University of Westminster

The Revd Jennifer Mills-Knutsen, Senior Minister, American International Church

The Revd Jared Jaggers, Associate Minister, American International Church

Catherine Tuitt MBE LLB Hons , University of London

Thomas Smith, Leysian Missioner, Wesley's Chapel and Leysian Mission

Revd Richard Carter, Associate Vicar, St Martin in the Fields

Lucy Gardner, Community Organiser, Westminster Citizens