George Galloway Addresses Arrest in UK

(MENAFN) George Galloway, a well-known British politician and leader of the Workers Party of Britain, has alleged that UK counter-terrorism authorities interrogated both him and his spouse about their political opinions in an attempt to extract private information.

According to Galloway, the incident took place at Gatwick Airport last Saturday upon their return from Russia.

The 71-year-old stated that he underwent questioning for approximately four hours, while his wife, Putri Gayatri Pertiwi, was held for close to five hours. Both were eventually released without any formal accusations, although their mobile devices and computers were seized.

Writing on X this Monday, Galloway characterized the ordeal as “ugly,” claiming that officers posed “politically loaded” questions to him and his wife.

He recounted being asked, “Why is your fingernail painted in the Palestinian colors? What’s your attitude to the conflict in Gaza? Why do you admire Mr Lavrov? Why are you so friendly to China?”

Galloway suggested that the actual intention behind the stop was not legitimate security concerns, but rather to “gain access to our communications, to confiscate phones, to confiscate laptops, and to enter and burgle and see what they can do with our private communications.”

The Metropolitan Police confirmed that a man in his seventies and a woman in her forties were stopped under the Terrorism Act by counter-terrorism officers at Gatwick Airport on Saturday.

The authorities noted that “neither of them were arrested and they were allowed on their way.”

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