"What’s Happening at the London Police?"... 300 Staff Voluntarily Declare Freemason Ties After Order to Disclose Secret Society Membership

Revealed During Legal Dispute Over Voluntary Disclosure Policy

Foreign media outlets have reported that over 300 employees voluntarily disclosed their affiliation after the London Metropolitan Police ordered staff to declare whether they belong to the Freemasons or similar organizations.

Medal exhibited at the 2018 Freemason-related exhibition. Photo by EPA Yonhap News

On January 13 (local time), the BBC and The Guardian reported that this fact came to light during a legal process in which the Freemasons, objecting to the Metropolitan Police's attempt to identify members within its staff, sought a court ruling.

Previously, in December of last year, the Metropolitan Police added "Freemasons and similar organizations" to the list of groups that police officers and staff are required to report their membership in. The directive stated that anyone who has ever belonged to a "hierarchical and secretive membership organization whose members support and protect each other" must report this to their superiors. At the time, the Metropolitan Police explained that this measure was implemented "because it affects public perceptions of police impartiality."

In response, organizations associated with the Freemasons protested, claiming that the Metropolitan Police's policy is religiously discriminatory and infringes on members' human rights. They filed an application with the UK High Court requesting an injunction to halt the policy.

On January 12, the High Court announced that it would decide this week whether to grant the injunction. The court stated, "Since approximately 300 police officers and staff have voluntarily declared their association with the Freemasons and other hierarchical organizations, there is no need for immediate interim relief at this stage." The court added, "It does not appear that the defendant (the Metropolitan Police) plans to discipline officers or staff in the coming weeks solely for failing to report."

The Metropolitan Police also confirmed that 316 officers and staff had voluntarily disclosed their affiliations. The Metropolitan Police asserted that there are suspicions of undue influence and misconduct by the Freemasons in ongoing investigations, and claimed that the new policy is intended to restore trust in the police force.

The Freemasons are a secret society believed to have originated from medieval stonemasons' guilds. It is estimated that there are 6 million members worldwide, not only in English-speaking countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States, but also in countries like South Korea and Japan. Members are known to gather in lodges to perform secret initiation rituals. The organization is frequently featured in conspiracy theories, suspected of orchestrating political and religious events, assassinations, and other incidents from behind the scenes.