London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 03, 2025

Paddington Green: inside the anti-terror HQ taken over by climate anarchists

The Green Anti-Capitalist Front have occupied the closed police station to use as a base for week of action

For almost 50 years, Paddington Green police station in London was the nexus of the UK’s anti-terror policing operations. Its 16 high-security, subterranean cells have held IRA terrorists, Islamist would-be suicide bombers and prisoners returned from Guantánamo Bay.

“We’ve got a whole programme of events [planned for the squat]: workshops, skill shares, film screenings, music,” said one of the activists, who asked to be named as Foster. “Other groups are welcome to come and join us”

Under the banner of what they call the Green Anti-Capitalist Front, the activists at Paddington Green are planning a week of action at the end of February, including protests in the City. The activists, drawn from groups including Anarchist Federation, the Industrial Workers of the World and Reclaim the Power, all of which were named in a controversial counter-terrorism document, hope to establish themselves as a radical alternative to Extinction Rebellion.

The squatters found their way in to what was once described as Europe’s highest-security police station just over a week ago. “A concentrated effort was made to enter the building, using a ladder and gaining access via the roof,” the Metropolitan police said. The squatters did not comment on these claims.

They discovered that the police station – which closed in 2018 – has since been used for urban warfare training by police or special forces. Bullet casings of various kinds were found on the floor and paper targets peppered with bullet holes littered the building. Just one photorealistic target was discovered – a photograph of a man of south Asian appearance holding a pistol.

Hardened glass panels in doors in parts of the building have apparently been blasted with shotguns. A pin from a grenade was among the detritus found by the new occupants as they have cleaned up the complex.

The Met told the Guardian that the building had been used for “important firearms training”, which has since had to be rescheduled. A spokesperson said the target was “one of many used by police forces nationally, featuring persons of a range of ages, genders and races, where the armed officer has to assess whether the person is a potential threat or not,” but did not explain why no other photo targets were found.

The new occupants let journalists from the Guardian in to the fortress-like police station on Friday through an entrance to a large underground carpark. Elsewhere, external doors were barricaded to thwart attempts at eviction. Although much of the building has been gutted, lights and plumbing were working.

Paddington Green was built in the 70s, at the height of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, for the detention and interrogation of terrorist suspects. It soon became notorious. The novelist and scriptwriter Ronan Bennett was held there for four days in 1978.

“If they took you to Paddington Green you knew you were in serious trouble,” he told the Guardian. “It had an atmosphere of total lockdown, of modern surveillance and incarceration … It had cameras, which in those days were not omnipresent as they are now.

“The place had a bleak finality about it, which prompted the feeling, in me at least, that you were never going to get out.”

Four decades later, in 2007, one detainee held there for a week described how he was kept in a windowless cell, fed sleeping pills at night, forced to endure freezing showers and only allowed exercise in a small, entirely enclosed courtyard while handcuffed and watched by four guards.

Unlike XR, which is explicitly pacifist, the activists of GAF say they “respect a diversity of tactics”, without elaborating much further. Asked what tactics they might employ, one merely said they would “assess the situation and find the right tactic for that situation”.

Members spoke of their admiration for the methods employed by protesters in France, who more frequently clash with police and cause damage to property than their comparatively more docile English counterparts – an approach that could yet see them finding themselves inside custody cells that remain under the control of the Metropolitan police.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
Trump Administration Considers Withdrawal of Funding for Hospitals Providing Gender Treatment to Minors
Texas Enacts Law Allowing Gold and Silver Transactions
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
OpenAI Secures Multimillion-Dollar AI Contracts with Pentagon, India, and Grab
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Elon Musk Critiques Senate Budget Proposal Over Job Losses and Strategic Risks
Los Angeles Riots ended with Federal Investigations into Funding
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Education Secretary Announces Overhaul of Complaints System Amid Rising Parental Grievances
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Trump Ends Trade Talks with Canada Over Digital Services Tax
UK Government Softens Welfare Reform Plans Amid Labour Party Rebellion
Labour Faces Rebellion Over Disability Benefit Reforms Ahead of Key Vote
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Host Lavish Wedding in Venice Amid Protests
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
North Korea to Open New Beach Resort to Boost Tourism Economy
UK Labour Party Faces Internal Tensions Over Welfare Reforms
Andrew Cuomo Hints at Potential November Comeback Amid Democratic Primary Results
Curtis Sliwa Champions His Vision for New York City Amid Rising Crime Concerns
Federal Reserve Proposes Changes to Capital Rule Affecting Major Banks
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Trump Escalates Criticism of Media Over Iran Strike Coverage
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
Big Four Accounting Firms Fined in Exam Cheating Scandal
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
Australia's Star Casino Secures $195 Million Rescue Package Amid Challenges
UK to Enhance Nuclear Capabilities with Acquisition of F-35A Fighter Jets
×