[Ji Shuangcheng, special correspondent of the Global Times in the UK] George Galloway, a former British Labour MP, and his wife Putri Gaiatri Pertivi were stopped and detained by the police at London Gatwick Airport for nearly nine hours when they returned to the UK from overseas, during which he was asked about his views on Russia and China.
Galloway, aged 71, served as a member of the Labour Party until 2003 when he was expelled from the party for opposing the Iraq war, and then served in the British House of Commons as an independent member and a member of the "Respect Party". Since 2019, Galloway has served as the leader of the British Workers' Party. He also hosts a show called The Peak Talk Show.
On the 28th, Garvey criticized the British police on the Top Show, saying the detention of himself and his wife was "no reason". Garvey revealed that he and his wife recently arrived in Britain from Moscow via Abu Dhabi, and on September 27 was arrested by armed police at London's Gatwick Airport. According to the British Daily Mail, Garvey said he was interrogated for four hours, the police asked about his views on Russia and China; his wife Petivi was interrogated for five hours, asked about "his famous nail painted in the color of the Palestinian (national) flag."
According to the BBC, the British Workers' Party issued a statement confirming what happened to galloway and his wife, and said that the actions of the British police were "politically motivated intimidation" and that the British * tradition was being discarded. The British police said that the interception and interrogation were conducted in accordance with the provisions in the schedule of the British Anti-Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019. The law allows police officers to stop, cross-examine, search and detain people in British ports or border areas to determine whether they are involved in hostile activities.
In response to what happened to Galloway and his wife, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: "Neither of them was arrested and allowed to continue on the road."
According to the Hong Kong South China Morning Post, Galovey said he had traveled to London with the intention of attending an event in which the Chinese ambassador was expected to be present. “If they thought I could be intimidated, it would be too stupid to be a counter-terrorist police officer.”