❓WHAT HAPPENED: Charges against a woman who unfurled Britain’s Union flag from a municipal government building during an anti-mass migration protest have been dropped.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Protester Sarah White, Essex Police, and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
📍WHEN & WHERE: The incident occurred on August 31 at Epping Forest District Council, with charges withdrawn ahead of a scheduled court hearing on October 15.
💬KEY QUOTE: “This was an unlawful attempt to intimidate and silence ordinary people who dare to speak out… I will not be silenced.” – Sarah White
🎯IMPACT: The case highlights concerns over the policing of dissent against mass migration and state censorship more broadly.
Sarah White, a 40-year-old Englishwoman, has had charges against her dropped following her arrest at an anti-mass migration protest outside Epping Forest District Council on August 31. During the protest, White displayed Britain’s Union flag on the steps of a municipal government building, before being escorted away by police.
Essex Police had charged White under the Public Order Act 1986. The force claimed that the arrest was unrelated to her unfurling the flag. Notably, similar denials were issued by the British authorities when they prosecuted Hamit Coskun for burning a Koran in London earlier this year, claiming that he had not been charged because he had burned a Koran, but because the act was “disorderly” in nature—regarded by most observers as a distinction without a difference.
White’s case, scheduled for Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court today, was discontinued due to insufficient evidence. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), she shared her relief and frustration, stating, “I have now received confirmation from the Crown Prosecution Service that there will be no further action taken against me due to insufficient evidence. The reason there is no evidence is simple: I did not commit a crime.
White called her treatment “unjust” and an effort to suppress dissent against mass migration, saying, “It is unacceptable that dissent is met with force and fear. I will not be silenced. I will continue to stand up—for our freedoms, for women, for children, and for this country.”
Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.