The former MP George Galloway and his wife have been detained by counter-terrorism police at Gatwick airport.
The 71-year-old was stopped by officers on Saturday after flying in to London from Moscow, via Abu Dhabi, according to reports.
The Workers Party of Britain, led by Mr. Galloway, described the incident as ‘politically motivated intimidation’, alleging that the police are withholding information.
In a statement posted on X, they mentioned: ‘At 11am, police officers at Gatwick informed us that our party leader George Galloway and his wife have been detained at the airport.
‘The police agreed that they would pass a message to our comrades from us and pass back a reply from them.
‘Despite our repeated attempts to acquire further details, including multiple calls to the police, we have no updates on their condition or the respect for their rights.
‘There is no information on charges or alleged offences. Therefore we may conclude this is politically motivated intimidation.
‘We call on all supporters and friends to amplify this message and demand the IMMEDIATE RELEASE of our leaders.’
The former MP George Galloway and his wife have been detained by counter-terrorism police at Gatwick airport
Mr. Galloway and his wife Putri Gayatri Pertiwi were detained under schedule 3 of the Counter Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019. The image shows the couple with their daughter.
The Workers Party of Britain, led by Mr. Galloway, characterized the action as ‘politically motivated intimidation’, insisting that the police have not disclosed any details.
Mr Galloway and his wife Putri Gayatri Pertiwi, 40, had been stopped under schedule 3 of the Counter Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019.
The act means officers can detain and search someone at a border to manage terrorist offenders and prevent malicious state action.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson stated: ‘We can confirm that on Saturday, counter-terrorism officers at Gatwick airport detained a man in his 70s and a woman in her 40s under schedule 3 of the Counter Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019.’
‘Neither of them were arrested and they were allowed on their way.’
The couple were eventually let go without charge.
The hard-left Party went on to condemn ‘the attempt to intimidate political opponents of the drive towards war with Russia and China’.
They insisted ‘there was never any chance of an offence’ and the Party were obstructed from providing legal support.
The Daily Mail have approached the Met for further comment.
The politician controversially made an appearance in Moscow as Russia’s Vladimir Putin celebrated Victory Day with a huge military parade in May.
The politician controversially made an appearance in Moscow as Russia’s Vladimir Putin celebrated Victory Day with a huge military parade in May. Mr Galloway posted a series of snaps alongside his wife on Moscow’s Red Square
Taking to X to share snaps of himself in Moscow, Galloway called the Victory Day Celebrations ‘moving, emotional, inspiring, humbling.’
Pictures posted by the politician show him and his fourth wife – who is 30 years his junior – posing for the camera on Red Square.
Having previously praised the assassinated Hamas leader as a ‘martyr,’ Galloway said in a speech said he was ‘honoured’ to receive the award, and also bragged about having Haniyeh’s passport in his possession.
‘I actually hold in my safe the passport because when we arrived with one of our convoys to break the siege on Gaza [in 2009], he had promised me a Palestinian passport but they had run out of Palestinian passports.
‘So he gave me his own personal passport and it is one of my most treasured possessions,’ the British politician boasted.
He went on to thank Iran for ‘their steadfastness in support for the Palestinian people.’
‘The truth is when Palestine is finally free, Iran will be able to take its place in the panoply of heroes who made it possible.’
Scandal has followed Mr Galloway throughout his career, as it was revealed last year that his campaign to keep his Rochdale seat was funded heavily by Andrew Tate’s brother Christian.
While in 2019 he was sacked by TalkRADIO after being accused of ‘blatant anti-Semitism’ in a tweet about Spurs’ defeat in the Champions League final.
