Laurence Fox arrested for endorsing vandalism and the destruction of Ulez cameras
4 October 2023, 13:06 | Updated: 4 October 2023, 14:09
Laurence Fox has been arrested for conspiring to damage Ulez cameras and encouraging the public to rip down the devices.
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The 45-year-old actor and political activist was arrested on Wednesday morning during a police raid on his South London home.
Fox proceeded to live-stream the raid by the Metropolitan Police, a video which was later shared on by the Reclaim Party on social media - a party of which Fox is the leader.
Moments after the raid on his Stockwell home began, Fox could be seen accusing the Met of "stealing" from him, adding the force were "going through my house to intimidate me".
The footage showed five police officers standing around him - some in uniform and some in plain clothes.
Fox is also being quizzed on suspicion of encouraging or assisting offences to be committed.
Fox has released a number of videos in recent weeks in which he rants about ULEZ cameras, actively encouraging others to do the same.
Praising so-called ULEZ Bladerunners - a vigilante group who who have been ripping down the cameras across London, Fox added he was "happy to be detained" on Tuesday for his involvement.
“I encourage them to tear down every single camera there is and I will be joining them,” he said in the video posted to social media.
Fox also recently encouraged the "mass removal of the surveillance state” during a live stream on Rumble.
Read more: Ulez camera turned off after more than 900 drivers wrongly fined
Recent weeks have seen him post to social media a number of times, endorsing the destruction of the cameras, which monitor the entry and exit of vehicles to London.
"This is what the police are," said Fox in the second clip released on his behalf. "They don't police with consent anymore, they police with fear and intimidation."
Fox could be seen smoking a cigar while wearing purple latex gloves, as Met officers walked around the actor's living room.
Labelling them a "stazi" police force, Fox added: "Instead of being on the streets solving crimes - like the murder of a poor 15-year-old girl, they're all over social media".
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “Officers arrested a 45-year-old man on suspicion of conspiring to commit criminal damage to Ulez cameras and encouraging or assisting offences to be committed.
“He was arrested in Stockwell and has been taken to a South London police station where he remains in custody.”
Wardens overseeing Ulez are now wearing balaclavas after weeks of clashing with Blade Runners attempting to sabotage the scheme.
As well as cameras, London Mayor Sadiq Khan has implemented TfL enforcement vans with automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) to crack down on non-compliant vehicles.
