Dr Sally Mann is usually found at the east London church where her family have worshipped for five generations.
But on Saturday, striking images of the baptist minister emerged. Swarmed by police officers and standing alone, footage shared on social media shows the moment she was arrested at the pro-Palestine march held in Parliament Square.
Wearing a black shirt and white collar, she nods and silently accepts her arrest before she is escorted away, surrounded by a sea of police uniforms.
She is one of 532 people arrested by the Metropolitan Police at the largest gathering of Palestine Action since it was proscribed as a terrorist group last month.
Of those, the 55-year-old is younger than the average age of those detained, with figures showing half were aged 60 or above. Speaking to The Independent on Monday, she said she is prepared to accept a prison sentence for her actions.
“I am aware there will be repercussions in my life if I am successfully convicted but I felt completely at peace with both my actions and my decision,” she said. “It’s the right side of history. Even if I knew I was going to prison for this I would do it.”
She said despite not taking part in previous Palestine Action protests, she was moved protest on Saturday because of her faith. “I believe Jesus actually meant what he said and he modelled non-violent resistance to oppressive power,” she continued. “I see myself as a minister more than an activist but I have always felt compelled by my faith to try to build a community that is built on peacemaking.”
After reading the protest briefing from Defend our Juries, who organised the demonstration, Dr Mann said she felt certain the protest would be the kind of non-violent action she feels “committed” to be part of.
“On Saturday I got up early and went to St James’ Park because I wanted to be very calm,” she told The Independent. “I sat quietly and prayed. Then I headed over to Parliament Square.”
Dr Mann said during the main protest, though people around her had been arrested, she was not. But after the scheduled end she continued holding her placard stating: “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action”. Within ten minutes, she said she was arrested.
“Other people very near me had been arrested, including some who really did look very elderly and vulnerable, and I thought it would be better for them if they arrest more,” she explained. “So I just decided to stand with my sign. I wanted to be arrested for this because I want to stand in solidarity with those who had been and I did feel the numbers mattered.“
Her arrest was captured on video - a powerful image of her nodding silently as she is escorted away by at least a dozen officers has accumulated thousands of likes on social media. “The numbers who turned up to arrest me were extraordinary,” she said. “I think there were a dozen officers arresting me and actually, had they asked me to walk onto the van I would’ve just gone on my own. I was completely ready to be arrested.”
She told The Independent she was put in a van with six police officers to two protesters and was put in line to be processed. “It was actually very peaceful,” she said. “It was a very low risk for me. I had moral certainty and legal ambiguity about what would happen to me, but prepared if a custodial sentence does come I am completely prepared for that. I just think it looks less and less likely now.”
But she said her arrest, along with that of elderly protestors, shows the “absurdity” of proscribing Palestine Action as a terrorist group. “I would say to Yvette Cooper, who do you think you’re protecting by proscribing me as a terrorist?’,” she said.
Also arrested under terrorist legislation was 74-year-old NHS doctor Paul O’Brien. He said the Palestinian cause was “incredibly important” to him, but that the risk of arrest did make him think harder about attending than at previous protests.
“I thought the proscribing was really, really wrong and felt so disappointed in the majority of the MPs in Labour and the Tories for supporting it,” he said. “But it did make me think harder about going out.”
He was also detained later in the day and described his experience as “bizarre”. “It was just odd, all these people who have been arrested under terrorist legislation and we looked the most unlikely terrorists,” he said. “Half of us can hardly walk. It was quite funny. Even for a terrorist offence we were automatically bailed, they know it’s so bizarre.”
He added he thought the protest would be a “memorable” day for many. “Once you’re arrested for a terrorist offence, it’s an extraordinary thing to happen in your life,” he continued. “What happened on Saturday was historic, I think it’s going to grow.”
In a statement released on Sunday, a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said the majority of the arrests made were for “displaying an item (in this case a placard) in support of a proscribed organisation (in this case Palestine Action) contrary to Section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000”.
“Over the coming days and weeks, officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command will work to put together the case files required to secure charges against those arrested as part of this operation,” they added.
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