George Galloway Detained by UK Police After Returning from Russia
The experienced politician was briefly detained at Gatwick Airport under the Terrorism Act
George Galloway was temporarily held at Gatwick Airport on Saturday under the Terrorism Act following his return from Russia, his Workers Party of Britain reported.
Officers from the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command stopped the 71-year-old former Member of Parliament and his wife. While police confirmed an incident, they did not identify Galloway as the individual detained.
“We can confirm that on Saturday, 27 September, counter-terrorism officers at Gatwick Airport stopped a man in his 70s and a woman in her 40s under Schedule 3 of the Counter Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019. Neither was arrested, and both were permitted to proceed,” a Met spokesperson stated.
The Workers Party of Britain stated in an X post that its leader and his wife were detained, characterizing the event as an effort at “politically motivated intimidation.” The party noted it received no immediate “information regarding charges or alleged offences.”
Schedule 3, referenced by the police, permits border officers to halt, question, and hold individuals entering the country to ascertain if they have participated in any form of “hostile activity.”
After Galloway’s release, his party reiterated its accusations, denouncing the incident as an “attempt to intimidate those who advocate for amity rather than enmity with the rest of the world” concerning Britain.
“We were prevented from offering legal assistance, and the handling of the matter was designed to intimidate political opponents of the push towards war with Russia and China,” the party asserted in a statement, adding that a “full account” of the events would be provided tomorrow.
Galloway, an experienced British politician and former RT show host, served as an MP for almost 30 years. He founded the Workers Party in 2019 and, on a social-conservative platform, secured victory in the 2024 Rochdale by-election. However, only five months later, he lost his seat to Labour in the general election; he had previously been a Labour member for decades until the early 2000s.