British police apologize for gathering names of those who bought copies of Charlie Hebdo

A woman holding the "survivor's edition" of Charlie Hebdo
(Image credit: Carl Court/Getty Images)

It all started when 77-year-old Anne Keat asked her local newsagent to order her a copy of the special commemorative "survivors' issue" of Charlie Hebdo in the wake of the Paris terror attacks.

Keat later learned that a police officer visited the newsagent and asked for the names of the four people who had also bought one.

"Beware," Keat wrote in a letter to the Guardian, "your [Je suis Charlie] badges may attract police interest in your customers."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

The Guardian reports that the Wiltshire police force has apologized to "the members of the public who may be affected by this" and have labeled the incident "unfortunate." They've also reportedly "taken right action and permanently and securely disposed of the information gathered."

Explore More