ADDRESSED TO: THE HOME SECRETARY PRITI PATEL AND THE INDEPENDENT OFFICE FOR POLICE CONDUCT (IOPC)

Dear Ms Patel / IOPC,

Three officials of the political party Britain First were recently detained at Heathrow Airport as they were returning from a visit to Russia.

Party leader Paul Golding was arrested and held in detention for sixteen hours under Section 7 of the 2000 Terrorism Act.

The visit to Russia was entirely benign, in order to further relations with members of the Russian parliament (Duma) and to provide a perspective to the Russian people of the dire state of British politics through a series of TV and newspaper interviews.

On return, they were subjected to brutal interrogation, with DNA and fingerprint samples taken for identification, their persons and luggage searched, and their electronic devices and mobile phones seized, with threats of prosecution, conviction and long jail sentences if they did not hand over their PINs and pass-codes.

There was absolutely no need for the heavy-handed treatment that was meted out to leader Paul Golding, the Director of Communications Ashlea Simon, and the Campaigns Officer Timothy Burton, all of whom wish merely to contribute to the reform of British politics through the medium of peaceful persuasion.

Such actions by your security services are to be deplored when at least 23,000 real Islamists are freely walking the streets of our country - and that is according to your own intelligence services.

We, the undersigned, demand a formal apology from 'SO15 Counter Terrorism Command' and an end to the persecution of Britain First and its officials forthwith: