UK police shouldn't have stopped French publisher under anti-terror laws, an independent review says

abcnews.go.com:

A report critical of British police says officers should not have used counter-terrorism laws to detain a French publisher in London earlier this year

LONDON — London police should not have used counter-terrorism powers to question and detain a French publisher at a train station in April on suspicion he might have been involved in violent protests, a report released Friday concluded.

Ernest Moret was on his way to the London Book Fair on April 17 when he was stopped by counter-terror border officers at St. Pancras Station, questioned for nearly five hours and then arrested and held overnight for refusing to provide the passcode to his phone — even though officers concluded he posed no threat to national security.

Jonathan Hall, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, said officers should not have used Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000, which gives them exceptional powers to root out terrorists, to determine if Moret had been involved in the turbulent pension reform demonstrations that had roiled France for months.

“The problem with exercising counterterrorism powers to investigate whether an individual is a peaceful protestor or a violent protestor is that it is using a sledge-hammer to crack a nut,” Hall said.

Moret's lawyer said the Metropolitan Police needs to apologize and pay his client for jailing him and damaging his reputation.

“The report is a complete vindication of our client’s stance, citing his right to privacy, in refusing to supply his personal data to police,” attorney Richard Parry said. “The police demand was totally unjustified.”

The Metropolitan Police said in a statement it would refer the matter to the Independent Office of Police Conduct that investigates misconduct complaints and