British antiterrorism police have arrested the foreign rights manager of left-wing French publisher La Fabrique. Ernest Moret arrived in London on Monday ahead of the London Book Fair, which opens today.
Passing through boarder control from the Eurostar at London St Pancras station, Moret is reported to have been pulled aside and questioned, without a lawyer present, as to whether he was in possession of terrorist material or had engaged in terrorist activity. La Fabrique said in a statement that police justified their questioning by citing Moret’s alleged participation in the protests currently rocking France over President Macron’s pension reforms.
Moret was due to attend a reception at the French Institute at which the French ambassador will be present. Colleagues have organised a protest to occur during the event.
La Fabrique’s authors include Jacques Rancière, Giorgio Agamben, Tariq Ali, Zahra Ali and Grey Anderson. The London Book Fair is one of the most important dates in the publishing calendar where publishers sell and buy translation and distribution rights to new titles. La Fabrique says Moret had over thirty meetings planned for the week, with a return ticket booked for Friday.
