Muslim activist wins Case against Manchester Police

A dispute stemming from the Conservative conference in 2019 has caused the Manchester police to pay a settlement offer towards Sayed Ahmed al-Wadaei, the director of the Bahrain Institute for rights and democracy (BIRD). The crux of the issue this time came due to being disbarred from speaking at the said conference, causing an atmosphere of attempted censorship by the party in power.

Sayed al-Wadaei was proposed to speak about the injustices done to prisoners in Bahrain, under the charity ‘Freedom from torture’, something which he himself was familiarised with when illegally imprisoned, before he sought asylum in the UK. After being subject to discrimination, he decided to take the matters to authorities, where he was compensated with a significant amount, alongside a triggered policy change, in reparations for the manner he was treated in. Now as director of Bahrain institute for Rights and Democracy, he is continuing to use his voice in order to point out all that needs to be replaced, for a more humanitarian approach to be implemented in his homeland. He is passionately calling out the Bahraini regime for their abuse of power specifically to those with opposing views, using politics and religion as the fuel for his vehicle in shaping society for the better.

Although the dispute occurring two years ago, news of the payout emerged this week, alongside a statement from al-Wadaei stating:

“Being refused entry to the conference felt like an attempt to censor me, particularly as I was attending to discuss the UK government’s support for the Bahraini regime, which has subjected me and countless others to horrific acts of torture.”

This constant struggle for something which is a basic human right, emphasises the extent to which the regime has been unable to hold up both national and international law, in treating its citizens with respect and courtesy. This issue being something which can be traced back to the Arab Spring of 2011 which when the Sayed was imprisoned first, meaning there’s been a passing decade with no change.

A GMP spokesperson replied to the issue by saying:

“We accept the concerns raised by Mr al-Wadaei regarding the decision to refuse accreditation to the 2019 Conservative party conference and the subsequent appeal process. Following legal discussions between both parties, an out of court financial settlement has been agreed in this case.”

Although this case has been closed, we need to understand that cases of prejudice are not isolated, and over time we hope for further actions from the government to fight back against any type of hate against Muslims, and activists trying to bring peace to the same places that they were brought up in.

For more than a pay-out and slight policy changes, justice needs to be pushed on a macro-level so we can live in a more peaceful society side by side. What Sayed al-Wadaei helped amend, could be the first of many in propelling us to being upright within our governmental systems.