Jon Farley
 Jon Farley  ( teacher) | |
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| Born | 1958 |
Retired headteacher wrongly arrested under "terrorism" legislation | |
Jon Farley is a British 67-year-old retired headteacher who came to prominence for being arrested under the "Terrorism Act 2000" for carrying a print-out of a Private Eye cartoon. He was held by police for nearly six hours on Saturday 19 July 2025 after being detained at a demonstration in Leeds. He was bailed and told on Monday 21 July he would face no further action.
Background
The cartoon commented on the proscription of Palestine Action after two RAF planes were sprayed with red paint in June, by highlighting it alongside the killings of civilians seeking aid by the IDF in Gaza.[1]
Police response
West Yorkshire Police said a 67-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of demonstrating support for a proscribed organisation but that a review found the alleged offence was "not made out".
A spokesperson said: "We are sorry that the man involved is unhappy with the circumstances of this arrest.
"As this is a new proscribed organisation, West Yorkshire Police is considering any individual or organisational learning from this incident."
Undaunted
Farley said he was planning to attend another a Palestinian solidarity march in Leeds at the weekend and that he was grateful for the many messages of support he had received.
He also said he felt "vindicated" by Private Eye editor Ian Hislop, who told The Guardian that the arrest was "ludicrous":
- "It was wonderful to read that because he is in a position of influence and I've always had a huge amount of respect for him," Farley said.
- "It was a relief, frankly, to see someone talking common sense about it."[2]
Related Document
| Title | Type | Publication date | Author(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Document:Interview with Palestine protester arrested over Private Eye graphic | Interview | 22 July 2025 | Yuri Prasad | Retired 67-year-old headteacher Jon Farley: “I said, but it’s just a cartoon from Private Eye. I’ve got the magazine in my backpack. I can show it to you. But by that point they’d handcuffed me.” |
